The teacher displays the app for the class to see. Each child has a monster avatar with points. The app also sends points to parents during the day. +1 on task or -1 disrespect without any details. He has made comments that he is a bad kid in the class it’s really breaking my heart. He said he was told to put his head down but another time he put his head down because he was sad and lost points. The point system in not consistent and subjective. No one from the school asked my permission to use this app. They entered information to this private company. When I researched the privacy terms they are vague and are collecting data. How will this information be used against my child. Will he be labeled. I feel it is public shaming to display for the class to see. Teachers are not displaying test scores. When I tried to discuss this with his teacher she blew me off. I know this is Kindergarten and I want him to develop a love for learning not to be scared of his teacher!
The mother is absolutely right to be concerned about how this information will be used against him. Class Dojo is just one of many apps that is being used in the classroom often without parents knowledge or permission to collect vast amounts of data. Often even the teachers do not know what’s really going on, they’re simply told this app must be used. It’s time to ask, what’s going on in education reform when a kindergartener’s behavior must be tracked, recorded, and displayed for all to see?In 2009 Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said,
“I want to be able to track every child throughout their educational trajectory, so we know what they are doing. Secondly, I want to track children back to teachers, so we know the impact the teachers are having on those children. And third, I want to be able to track those students back to teacher, and teachers back to the schools of education, so we can understand which schools of education and which feeder programs are producing the teachers that are producing the students that had the most gain.”
At the time, that sounded like a very audacious goal and few understood what it meant for our children and their future. Six years later, we realize that the Obama administration assisted by a merry-band of Republicans like Jeb Bush, Governor Snyder, and others were about to fundamentally transform education. Race to the Top funding provided states with the necessary motivation to submit to change standards, assessments. and create state longitudinal data systems (SLDS) to track children from P-20 – prenatal to career.
Michigan has a P-20 SLDS and the details of how a student is tracked are beginning to emerge. In a previous post, I discussed digital badges and how they impact a child’s future. “The badges themselves are graphical representations of an accomplishment – basically the digital version of a felt patch a Boy or Girl Scout might earn.” (Source: Inside Higher Ed)
When a child earns a Boy Scout badge they proudly display it on their shirt or vest. Where does a student store or display a virtual or digital badge? A digital backpack connected to an extended learning profile.
What is a digital backpack?
The Data Backpack is an expanded common electronic student record: an official transcript that follows students through every transition—grade to grade and school to school. The Backpack includes traditional transcript data such as demographic information, state testing data, and supplementary student supports. However, it would also include additional information in order to represent a more holistic picture of student achievement—such as a gradebook of standards-based performance data and a portfolio of personal bests—and better capture the student’s progression at any moment in time. This enhanced data would provide a context for attendance and behavior patterns, supplementary support services, grades, and other performance information such as proficiency scores and learning gains…(Source: Digitlal Learning Now PDF pg. 2)
Learner Profiles should contain expanded achievement information, student goal statements, badges and other recognitions, and a college/career readiness tracker. Students would contribute a full portfolio of work, complemented by teacher narratives on student assets and challenges. The Profile could also include non-cognitive variables that impact achievements, as well as an “early warning system,” self-management skills, behavior/character education, and a record of community service. (Source: Digitlal Learning Now PDF pg. 2)
Public shaming, and loss of student data-privacy are both serious and wrong. But the state’s ultimate goal for the data is to connect children to careers.
Education is about creating good workers to help the state meet workforce demands in a global economy. As a student moves from grade to grade, data is being collected that will set up his future. Data drives the decisions in the P-20 seamless educational system. Big data is big business. The level of detail is unprecedented.
Next-generation digital tools, services, platforms, and systems now give us the opportunity to collect and classify information down to the individual keystrokes of comparable students in parallel situations. We are just beginning to understand how these data can inform our understanding of the learners in our care. (Source: Digitlal Learning Now PDF)
That’s amazing but is it necessary to know that much detail abut every student? Reformers say that the data will allow a customized learning pathway for each child. But what is emerging is a cradle-to-career education system of complete control which rewards and shames children so they become compliant worker-bees to meet state workforce demands.
It’s time to stop the madness.
It is the MDE, lawmakers, and Governor Snyder who support such a scheme who must wear the dunce cap for pushing this foolishness on our students under the guise of high standards and global competitiveness.
Please share your student’s experience with us. Is your school or student is using Class Dojo or a similar app and shaming your student? We want to hear from you. Please leave a comment or email us and let us know what’s going on in your school.
Also, contact lawmakers and tell them you OPPOSE Common Core, data tracking leading to digital badges for career pathways, and public shaming of students! Tell them you OPPOSE bills like SB 169/170 and HB 4284/HB 4285 which creates STEM credential based on data collection and data badges.
Contact the State Board of Education and tell them NO to the proposed new Science and Social Standards.