One of the many concerns related to Common Core are the assessments and the intrusive and massive amount of data collected from those tests. It is important to note that these tests are assessments; therefore, they are different than the achievement tests many of us have given to our children. Even though Indiana no longer has Common Core standards, it has been noted by proponents that Indiana’s new standards are so similar to Common Core that Hoosiers may use Common Core assessments. At a recent meeting in the Governor’s office in which IAHE had the privilege of participating, it was said that Indiana will develop its own tests. We hope Indiana does not use test questions drawn from a test bank used for Common Core assessments.
Home educators are concerned about data collection since we noted evidence (see slide 35) that there is a desire nationally to include us in the national data pipeline. IAHE was able to remove homeschool language from two data bills in the 2014 legislative session, so we understand first hand that the threat is real.
Pioneer Institute just released a major study that addresses concerns IAHE has previously noted related to data collection. We hope that you take the time to read it and share it widely.
Press Release: Study Finds That New Technology, Relaxation of Protections Threaten Student Privacy
Federal government using grants to induce states to build identical, increasingly sophisticated student-data systems
BOSTON – New technology allows advocates for education as workforce development to accomplish what has long been out of their reach: the collection of data on every child, beginning with preschool or even earlier, and using that data to track the child throughout his/her academic career and then through the workforce, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.
Cogs in the Machine: Big Data, Common Core, and National Testing
“It is an idea that dates back to the Progressive era,” says Emmett McGroarty, a co-author of “Cogs in the Machine: Big Data, Common Core, and National Testing.” “It is based in a belief that government ‘experts’ should make determinations about what is successful in education, what isn’t, and what sorts of education and training are most likely to produce workers who contribute to making the United States competitive in the global economy.”
In an era in which violations of privacy have become front-page news, the technology presents myriad threats to student privacy.
For many years the federal government has been using grants to induce states to build identical and increasingly sophisticated student-data systems. More recently, the federal government has worked with private entities to design and encourage states to participate in initiatives such as the Data Quality Campaign, the Early Childhood Data Collaborative, and the National Student Clearinghouse – all geared toward increasing the collection and sharing of student data. The National Education Data Model, with its suggestion of over 400 data points on each child, provides an ambitious target for the states in constructing their data systems.
None of the privacy protections currently in place reliably protect student data. Last year Congress gutted the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), leaving no reliable protections in place for student data. With Big Data, anonymization of an individual student’s information is practically impossible.
Read more here.
Pioneer Institute