Teach to the Test? Just Say No   –  Reading Rockets

By: Craig Jerald

It is possible for educators to make better choices about how and when to teach to the test than the alarmist newspaper articles and editorials would seem to suggest. This article from the Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement aims to help readers think beyond simple compliance with federal law or basic implementation of programs.

Every spring, education-related newspaper and magazine stories raise the alarm that schools are teaching to the test. Scores of articles and editorials paint a disheartening picture of frustrated teachers forced to abandon good instructional practices for a relentless stream of worksheets based on boring, repetitive test-preparation materials. Even Hollywood actors are chiming in. Actress Alfre Woodard recently told a Louisiana newspaper, “My sister-in-law is left standing in front of her class with a pamphlet, teaching to the test because everyone must pass.”¹

Although the phrase — and the concern — are hardly new, many observers blame the No Child Left Behind (NClB) act for escalating teaching to the test from a problem into an epidemic. The law “virtually transformed the concept of education,” according to a recent editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle, “turning teaching and learning into a mere exercise in prepping students to test well.”²

What’s wrong with teaching to the test?

The phrase “teaching to the test” is used widely but seldom defined, causing much confusion about what it means and whether it is bad or good. Indeed, in a recent editorial in the Washington Post, the respected education reporter Jay Matthews claimed that teaching to the test simply means aligning classroom instruction and curriculum to standards; the practice is a good one that should be supported.³

Assessment expert W. James Popham helps to clarify the difference. He defines two kinds of assessment-aware instruction: “curriculum teaching” and “item-teaching.”⁴ Curriculum teachers focus on the full body of knowledge and skills represented by test questions even though tests can employ only a sample of questions to assess students’ knowledge about a topic.

Item teachers narrow their instruction, organizing their teaching around clones of the particular questions most likely to be found on the test — and thus teach only the bits of knowledge students are most likely to encounter on exams. For example, item teachers might drill students on a small set of vocabulary words expected to be assessed rather than employing instructional strategies that help students develop the kind of rich and broad vocabulary that best contributes to strong reading comprehension.

The latter kind of teaching to the test is unethical. For one reason, it misrepresents how much students really have learned about a topic. in the example, students who learned only the 10 words on the vocabulary portion of the reading test will score well even though they have not developed a broad vocabulary, which is supposed to be the goal. in mathematics, students who have been drilled only on test-like questions do not have the opportunity to master a particular skill or concept and often cannot correctly answer questions that assess the same skill or concept in a different way.

Popham also contends that “because teaching either to test items or to clones of those items eviscerates the validity of [tests]… item-teaching is reprehensible. it should be stopped.”⁶ But the problems with teaching to the test go beyond the fact that it interferes with test validity. Parents and educators are much more concerned with how it affects the curriculum and classroom instruction itself.

For example, some worry that item teaching and other test-preparation strategies are taking over more of the weeks and months prior to testing. ” Others worry that the negative effect on instruction stretches back to August and September, with “drill and kill” strategies that substitute memorization for understanding and strangle good instruction all year long.

According to Lauren Resnick and Chris Zurawsky, the combination of accountability, the lack of a clear curriculum, and cheaper off-the-shelf tests is a recipe for bad teaching. “When teachers match their teaching to what they expect to appear on state tests of this sort,” they write, “students are likely to experience far more facts and routines than conceptual understanding and problem-solving in their curriculum….

Like Resnick and Zurawsky, many observers worry that drill-focused forms of teaching to the test can crowd out opportunities to teach students more advanced cognitive skills, such as how to solve problems and communicate effectively. They point to the work of economists, such as Frank Levy and Richard Murnane, who warn that all kinds of jobs, but particularly higher paying jobs, increasingly require fewer rote and routine skills and ever more complex skills. Analyzing tasks performed in jobs across the economy between 1969 and 1999, for example, Levy and Murnane found a big decline in rote tasks and routine work along with a skyrocketing demand for “expert thinking” skills (the ability to solve problems that require more than simply following rules or applying knowledge to new situations) and “complex communication” skills.⁹

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Fool’s gold and false choices

The decision to narrowly teach to the test might be bad for students in the long run, but is it really inevitable? Is there an unavoidable trade-off between helping students develop advanced problem-solving and communication skills they will need later in life and helping them perform better on standardized tests while they are in school? More to the point, do “drill and kill” strategies for teaching to the test actually produce higher test scores than other forms of instruction?

During the 1990s, Chicago instituted a number of accountability policies requiring students and schools to meet performance standards on nationally norm-referenced standardized assessments.

A trio of widely respected researchers — Newmann, Bryk, and Nagaoka — then affiliated with the Chicago Consortium on School Research, decided to investigate “What happens to students’ scores on standardized tests of basic skills when urban teachers…assign work that demands complex thinking and elaborated communication…?”¹¹

The researchers conducted a three-year study analyzing classroom assignments and student gains on standardized tests across more than 400 Chicago classrooms in almost 20 elementary schools. Nearly 2,000 classroom assignments were scored based on a rubric that evaluated the extent to which the assignments called for “authentic intellectual work” from students — applying basic skills and knowledge to solve new problems; expressing ideas and solutions using elaborated communication; and producing work related to the real world beyond the classroom.

Newmann, Bryk, and Nagaoka then analyzed student test-score gains on the commercially developed, nationally norm-referenced Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) assessment and the state-developed Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP) exams. The results were startling. In classrooms where teachers employed more authentic intellectual instruction, students logged test-score gains on the ITBS that exceeded the national average by 20 percent. However, students who were given few authentic assignments gained much less than the national average. A similar pattern emerged when researchers examined results on the IGAP assessments.

Those results strongly suggest that accountability and standardized tests need not be in conflict with good instruction, and that Resnick and others are wrong to assume that off-the-shelf tests require teachers to give up teaching higher level skills. “Fears that students will score lower on conventional tests due to teacher demands for more authentic intellectual work appear unwarranted,” the researchers concluded. “To the contrary, the evidence indicates that assignments calling for more authentic intellectual work actually improve student scores on conventional [standardized] tests.”¹² in other words, teaching to the test by “dumbing down” instruction offers only a kind of fool’s gold, promising a payoff that it does not deliver. The choice between good instruction and good test scores is a false one.

Many experts also agree that some forms of direct test preparation can be healthy in small doses, and it might even be necessary for tests to provide valid results.

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Making better choices

Clearly, it is possible for educators to make better choices about how and when to teach to the test.

Cynthia Kuhlman, principal of Atlanta’s high-poverty, high-minority Centennial Place Elementary School, where nearly all students consistently meet state standards on Georgia’s assessments, says, “We don’t teach to the test here at all. We have a curriculum that is mapped to the state’s standards, and we teach almost entirely through theme-based projects. You would be hard pressed to find a worksheet at Centennial Place.”¹³

But some schools will need more than simple stubbornness to resist the lure of teaching to the test. Many teachers and administrators clearly do feel pressure to engage in “item teaching” and rote instruction; and, especially in states that use off-the-shelf norm-referenced exams, educators increasingly worry that they might be sacrificing higher scores if they do not.

It is time to overturn the common assumption that teaching to the test is the only option schools have when faced with high-stakes testing. Over-reliance on “drill and kill” and test-preparation materials is not only unethical in the long-term but ineffective in the short-term. Because there really is no trade-off between good instruction and good test scores, this is that rare case when educators can have their cake and eat it, too.

An afternoon with the writer’s group.

######

He’s all tats and rap and
syncopation and gyration.

He is young, he is old, he
is idealistic and has no ideals.
He is the white rapper, new age,
all Eminem.

They love him with his good looks, and shaved
head and chains and boots.

“How’d you like it?” I asked him about the group.
“It was okay,” he said.

“I’m not sure I’m
getting a lot out of it anymore,” I tell him.

“I only write for myself,” he remarks.
“If I like it, that’s all I care about.
Doesn’t matter what other
people think.”

I nod gravely,
seeking to respect his muse.

“I’m looking for a writing
group to help me with dialogue,” I tell him like
he’s interested.

“Oh, yeah. Dialogue, that’s that word I was trying
to say, the word for how people talk to each other.”
“Right,” I keep going. “Just read The Big Sleep,
Raymond Chandler, master of dialogue.
Ever read it?” He looks at me blankly.

I back peddle desperately.
“It was a movie too, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall,
Very famous. You may have seen it?”
“Who’s Humphrey Bogart?” he asks.
“Oh, an actor,” I say.

He has to get going, we say goodbye.
I guess I never will really understand
that rap stuff.

This is the first in a series of blogs about what is going on in education today and what is happening to the three R’s – Reading, writing and arithmetic.

Realtor.com

How Much Do School Districts Affect Real Estate Prices?

By Sam DeBord | Jun 1, 2016

When people buy a home, a number of factors influence their decision. The look of the home, as well as its size, layout, age, and proximity to amenities are all important, depending on the buyer.

The local school district is a factor with significant influence. We’ve always known that good schools attract families with school-age children, but recent statistics add concrete numbers and surprising trends to the storyline.

Extreme school buyers

When looking at trends, it’s often entertaining to find the extremes. The best school districts near Seattle have recently seen a huge influx of buyers from China, paying premium cash prices for homes that many are purchasing for their future grandchildren. Neighborhoods on the east side are seeing large numbers of buyers who merely want to know where the best schools are, and are then buying remotely, without viewing the houses in person. These buyers greatly value education.

The domestic home-buying population also clearly values the right school. A 2013 realtor.com® survey of nearly 1,000 prospective home buyers showed that 91 percent said school boundaries were important in their search.

Dedication to Education

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Consumers are willing to sacrifice certain things to live in the right school district. Some of the realtor.com survey results were surprising: One out of five buyers would give up a bedroom or a garage for a better school. One out of three would purchase a smaller home to wind up in the right district.

Buyers are also willing to put their money where their mouths are. One out of five home buyers said they would pay six to 10 percent above their budget for the right school. One out of 10 would double that to 20 percent. Considering that premium could approach $100,000 in a lot of markets, it makes you wonder: How much investment in a school district is appropriate?

Do School Districts Influence Home Prices or Vice Versa?

Conversations about schools and their effect on a home’s value are often of the “chicken or the egg” variety. Homes in the best school districts, on average, sell for higher prices than similar homes in less-popular school districts. A simple analysis might say that good schools are wholly responsible for this added value.

At the same time, on average, more affluent home owners live in more sought-after school districts. Statistics often show that for large sample sizes, the more affluence there is in a community, the higher test scores will be in that same community. Test scores are just one measure of “good schools,” but they’re a highly quoted measure. There can be a self-reinforcing mechanism here that might overemphasize the effect of the school itself on the prices of those homes. One might even hypothesize that the high home prices make the schools better.

…….

School tests and test scores are now being called ‘high stakes testing.’. When we realize how much only one component, the value of houses on the market are affected by test scores, we start to get a more clear picture of what education is becoming in America today.

….

Fight Like a Girl Club.com

The Breast Cancer Diet

Katie May 1, 2011 Health, Nutrition 2 Comments

Has it ever occurred to you that there could be a connection between breast cancer and your diet?  Some researchers say that there are two key things in preventing cancer- estrogen regulation and immunity boosting.  Dr. Kristi Funk, MD, founder of The Pink Lotus Breast Center in Beverly Hills, CA says that while a genetic change is the root of all breast cancer,  breast cancer is fed and fueled for the most part by estrogen. Dr Funk believes that if we can decrease estrogen in our bodies, we can remove some of that fuel that makes cancer cells multiply and divide.  How do you do that? Here are 7 things, directly from a blog that Dr. Funk wrote, that help suppress estrogen. Dr. Funk also discussed this on a Dr. Oz show that aired in 2010.

1. Three cups of green tea a day can prevent breast cancer by as much as 50% because of its high EGCG antioxidant content. Squeeze a little lemon into your cup and increase the antioxidant power of your tea.
2. Garlic is a good immunity booster that also has anti-inflammatory properties.
3. Olive oil, borage oils and flaxseed oil contain monounsaturated fat, which can help suppress breast cancer.
4. Turmeric helps decrease estrogen. As little as one teaspoon a day has been shown to reduce tumor growth. Get your daily dose by mixing it into salad dressings, rice or vegetable dishes.
5. Cruciferous vegetables, such as kale, bok choy and Swiss chard bind estrogen in your GI tract and reduce tumor stimulation. They also detoxify the liver, which helps reduce the toxins flowing through your body that can irritate cells and turn them into early cancers.
6. Seaweed/Kelp are high in iodine, this is another estrogen reducer.
7. A daily supplement of Vitamin D (2000 IU) can prevent tumor metastasis, reduce cancer cells and aid estrogen inhibitors. Calcium-rich foods, such as sardines, salmon, milk and cheese are also highly recommended. Or, 15-20 minutes of sunshine every day can help you in getting your daily dose of Vitamin D. All of these combined can decrease your breast cancer risk by up to 50%.

In addition to and somewhat related to diet is, Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA has been shown to add to the risk of breast cancer.  BPA is found in almost everything from metal food cans to some plastic containers.  Since BPA is an unstable polymer and seeks fat, it grabs onto products when they are heated. This is why it’s recommended to remove frozen entrees from the plastic container and put onto a glass plate before heating in the microwave.  Studies using human breast cancer cell cultures show that BPA acts the same as the natural  estrogen estradiol and can weakly interact with the estrogen receptor.  This study also showed that BPA can alter breast cell responsiveness and cause direct damage to the DNA of the cells that were cultured.

With or without cancer, clearly it’s best to eat a diet that’s as healthy as possible loaded with lots of vegetables. Upon diagnosis, did you change your eating habits immediately? Did you receive any nutrition counseling prior to surgery or treatment? Let’s discuss!

References: http://www.pinklotusbreastcenter.com, http://www.breastcancerfund.org

Image courtesy of allrevitolcream.com

Full disclosure:  The author of this blog has blogged in the past for Pink Lotus Breast Center.

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Breastcancer.org

Home → Research News → Study Suggests Full-Fat Dairy Products May Be Linked to Worse Survival

Study Suggests Full-Fat Dairy Products May Be Linked to Worse Survival

• TAGS:Invasive or Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma, Invasive or Infiltrating Lobular Carcinoma, High-Fat Diet, Early-stage: Stage IA, Early-stage: Stage IB, Early-stage: Stage IIA, Early-stage: Stage IIB, Early-stage: Stage IIIA, Diet, and Early-stage: Stage 0 — DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma in Situ)

A study done by Kaiser Permanente researchers suggests that women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer who eat full-fat dairy products after diagnosis are more likely to die from breast cancer than women who eat low-fat dairy products after diagnosis.

The study was published online by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute on March 14, 2013. Read the abstract of “High- and Low-Fat Dairy Intake, Recurrence, and Mortality After Breast Cancer Diagnosis.”

The hormone estrogen stimulates breast cell growth, including the growth of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer cells. Estrogen is created and stored in fat cells. Many researchers believe that dairy products eaten in the United States and other Western countries have high levels of estrogen and progesterone in them because most of the milk is produced by pregnant cows. So it might be possible that low-fat dairy products have lower levels of estrogen and progesterone because most of the fat has been removed. This suggests that low-fat dairy products may be a better choice for women who’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer, especially hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer.

In this study, the researchers wanted to know if eating full-fat dairy products increased the risk of breast cancer recurrence (the cancer coming back), as well as the risk of dying from breast cancer. For this study, full-fat dairy products included:

• whole milk
• condensed or evaporated milk
• pudding
• ice cream
• custard
• flan
• cheese
• yogurt
• butter

The researchers looked at nearly 1,900 women who had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer from 1997 to 2000. Most of the women were from northern California. When the study started, the researchers sent the women a 120-question survey, including questions on:

• how often they ate dairy products during the previous year
• how large the serving size was
• the type of dairy products eaten
• whether the dairy product was full-fat, 2%, 1%, or non-fat/skim

Six years later, the researchers sent the same survey to all the women. About 1,500 women returned the second survey. The women were followed for about 12 years.

Low-fat milk and butter were the dairy foods the women reported eating most often. Overall, the women said they ate about 0.8 servings per day of low-fat dairy products and about 0.5 servings per day of full-fat dairy products.

During follow-up, 349 women had a breast cancer recurrence; 372 of the women died from any cause and 189 of those women died specifically from breast cancer.

The researchers found that women who reported eating one or more servings per day of full-fat dairy products had a 64% higher risk of dying from any cause and a 49% higher risk of dying from breast cancer compared to women who ate fewer servings per day of full-fat dairy products or women who ate low-fat dairy products.

There was no association between the amount of low-fat dairy products eaten and breast cancer survival. There also was no association between the risk of recurrence and the amount of full-fat dairy products eaten.

If you’ve been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, it makes sense to do everything you can to minimize your risk of recurrence and improve your chances of survival, including:

• eating a healthy diet that’s low in processed foods and sugar
• avoiding alcohol
• maintaining a healthy weight
• exercising daily
• not smoking
• staying on track with any medicines you’re taking to reduce the risk of recurrence

Recently, in a series of queer events also known as ‘That’s Life’, I found myself mid-semester with no teaching job. Although I am semi-retired, that extra money comes in very, very handy. I thought I would try my hand at retail since I have five years retail experience (in the foggy past) and the Holiday season is soon upon us.

I am well used to the mind-numbingly long applications for positions in education. The finger prints, the scan through the FBI and Department of Justice. The documents and certified documents; names, dates, places, times, etc. You get the picture. I have come to accept that as part of We Are Working With Children. I didn’t expect that for a job paying $9.00 an hour and selling nuts and bolts.

So, the applications for several major retailers are, “Fill in the application and it must be online”. What if you don’t have a computer? You then have to go to the public library, have a library card and fight with all the other gits who are also there for the same thing. Your computer time is strictly controlled because so many people use them.

The applications ask for specific names, dates, addresses and phone numbers. What happens if you forget to bring all that information with you and leave some of the spaces blank? Does HR automatically throw out your application? Good question.

Okay. You have your little folder, you have been through the drill before and you  have all your pertinent info to fill out the form. Great. Now that is done, now you proceed to have to take the ‘test’. The test is approximately twenty minutes long and is timed. (Remember you are on a computer at the library and everything has to be done within your two-hour per day time limit.)

So, we start the ‘personality’ test. It asks a series of strange questions like, Do you lie? Do you steal? If you saw someone at work a) lying or b) stealing, what would you do about it? Do you get angry easily? Are you happy? Are you depressed? Are you a person who is generally happy or generally depressed? Do you get along with people? Do you like working with people? What is your reaction if someone makes you mad? Etc., etc., etc.

I have three college degrees and two of them are in psychology and I had trouble with these questions. Do they want the truth? What if you lie in your answers? What if you don’t always like to be around other people and yes, others can make you angry and you have been known to lose your temper at work? Does this make you a bad person? Do you reveal any of these darks secrets or keep them locked up in the dungeon of your heart? Are you quaking in your boots because you yelled at someone once? So on.

Additionally,  I also have a lot of years working experience and know, for a fact, that many ‘good’ employees don’t always want to be shoulder-to-shoulder with their mates and yes, people, good people, do get mad on the job. It does not make you a ‘bad’ person, it makes you human.

Uh, oh. Not that. These complicated HR ‘tests’ have been designed by people who have PhD’s in tests and measurements and are designed to ferret out unacceptable personality traits in applicants. Wow! All that from a test. Golly.

By now, the nervous, palm-sweating applicant is managing to get everything finished and inputted into the computer before his or her time is up. All the while other library patrons are lining up for the computers and giving him the evil eye for taking so damn long.

Now thankfully, this applicant is the owner of a college degree, knows the ins and out of computers and can also read fairly well and understands all the vague and uncertain language contained in the application and  personality test. Good for him. Maybe he will get that job at the hardware store for $9.00 an hour!

Now, once again, in the far distant past, in the 70’s, when I was just getting started on my career life, we used to have a department called Personnel. Personnel was usually down the hall, in the corner, behind a door. It housed two or three people; maybe a secretary or two and a Personnel Manager. You would go into the office, fill out an application (pen and paper,) hand it to the girl. She would say something like, “Fine, and I’ll give this to the Manager.” In those days, that usually meant the manager of the department that you were applying for. Not anymore. Today, that department is no longer Personnel, it is Human Resources. The manager is the Manager of HR. Once you have leapt past the hoop of the first girl or two, then your precious document lands on the desk of the HR manager and only when it passes muster there, will it then be sent (with conditional approval) to the manager of your department for consideration.

Now what about this Manager of HR? Well, the tail of the dog (Personnel) has morphed into the tail that wags the dog and in fact, might very well today, have become the dog.

FYI, in case you don’t know it, job applications have become legal documents. If you lie on the application and that is found out, that very lie, and nothing else, are instant grounds for dismissal. Ah. So, the ‘girls’ in the office are now busy doing doc research and/or making phone calls to verify that what is stated on the app is, in fact, the truth.

What is this Manager of HR, the great Oz behind the curtain doing?  They manage ‘talent’. Talent includes things like your age, your race, your ethnic heritage, the amount of experience each job requires, the amount of education, your age, your height, your weight, what you look like, sound like and act like. They manage whether or not the corporation has the correct quota of per-race employees and per-age employees. They are the ones that set the standard for what the company can and cannot ask of employees. They are the guardians of the gate, the protector of the corporation from attack and future lawsuits. They are definitely behind the curtain because you never, ever get to see them or meet them.

These are the people who are advising, constantly, the heads of companies. These are the Iago’s who are whispering, ever in low voices to the powers that be and who hold the purse strings. These are individuals who decide whether you (the applicant or employee) either lives or dies. Thumbs up or thumbs down as in ancient Rome. And it is never more the case in our modern society whether you get that lowly (or highly paid) job or not.

HR managers are sworn to ‘protect’ the corporation. They are probably the master-minds behind many a scheme to yank the rug out from underneath  employees just before they reach that twenty-year anniversary and receive that long awaited and promised pension/benefit package.

Having no conscience or morals themselves, time and time again, they cut the legs out from underneath long-term employees and then congratulate themselves on a good job saving the company money.

Back to our applicant. He/she has gotten the dreaded application filled out and turned in. The app is reviewed by the HR manager. Every applicant over the age of forty or fifty (personal preference) is tossed. Applicants under age forty or fifty are hired because they are a) physically stronger b) won’t take time off work for illness (not true, studies show younger people are definitely sick more) and lastly, c) won’t stand up for themselves and complain about the low wages.

Finally, what does all this have to do with homelessness? The effects of the 2008-2009 recession are still being felt in this country. If a person was fortunate enough to have had a really good paying job before the recession and developed a strong resource ‘net’, they were probably able to weather the recession. That includes enough earned income to score high points with Social Security, pensions with companies who made good on their promise to pay, savings and ongoing and regular medical care.

People who did not/don’t have these things will rapidly find in this modern age of escalating housing, food and medical costs, that whatever resources they may have squirreled away, rapidly fading. Those on the edges of the work world; not making high enough wages during their most productive years, having little or no savings nest, low living resources, may surprisingly enough find themselves so far on the out, that they are literally on the outside and homeless.

The homeless situation in this country has escalated to new and unbefore reached heights and it has occurred since the 2008 recession. These things cannot be unrelated.

As more and more big businesses drive out the little guy competition; the role of The Corporation and the HR Manager become more and more significant in our society. The Oz behind the curtain has no personal contact with the many applicants that knock on their door. More better some say; that way they don’t have to see the desperation in the people’s eyes. So, as one person famously said once, “Let them eat cake.”

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Employer Ratings & Reviews Overview

Rating Scale
Individuals submit ratings on scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being least age friendly and 10 being most age friendly. These figures are averaged together to compute the 5-bullet rating in the middle column below.

EMPLOYER NAME	AVERAGE RATING	SAMPLE REVIEWS
3D Systems		They hire many applicants over the age of fifty, including me.
21st Century Healthcare		I was discriminated against by this employer.  I was let go, replaced by a person half my age.
7-Eleven		Seems they get rid of seniors
Aaron Brothers		Public humiliation.
ABB		Corporate talks the talk, however, the management in the local business units often attempts to force older workers out by starting to give poor performance reviews and creating action plans that are impossible to meet.
ABLON & CO		I have worked there I am 63, and worked others older and younger than myself, age had no factor . A great place to work.
Accenture		My own experience as well as that observed.
Ace Hardware		Excellent communications with employees, very flexible work schedules, fun and interesting place to work, many daily challenges and customers to assist with different projects.
Acosta Sales		Pay isn’t the greatest, so seems hiring older people is something the do. Benefits are very good.
Adesa		Most of the employees are on social security.
ADT Security		ADT has demonstrated a history and practice of eliminating positions held by experienced, tenured(more expensive) individuals. In 2014 75% of those positions eliminated were held by individuals age 50+. No obvious bias against older workers, yet no affirmative efforts to recruit or retain them.
Advance Auto Parts		The specifically ask you on the job application if you are between a certain age bracket. If you are not they will not allow you to continue the application. Clearly age discrimination.
Advanced Imaging Solutions, Inc.		My husband was terminated unjustly. He was asked how much time he had left to work during his interview, and when he did not answer this and was subsequently hired and his age known (he is younger than he looks), he was treated shabbily and termina

GLASSDOOR.COM

Over 50? Here Are 12 Incredible Companies Hiring Now!

January 27, 2017  Posted by Emily Moore

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As the saying goes, 50 is the new 30. Things like your confidence, relationships and happiness all seem to spike when you hit the big five-oh. And your career is no exception. No matter if you’re getting back into the game after a long breakor just hoping to shake things up a bit, your fifties are a great time to make a career move.

While many companies benefit from the tenacity and know-how of experienced workers, several go above and beyond to make the workplace inclusive and welcoming for all ages. The 12 companies highlighted below have all signed AARP’s pledge to recruit and support workers of diverse age groups — and they’re looking for candidates to fill open positions!

1. KPMG

Company Rating: 3.8

Where Hiring: Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; Knoxville, TN; Los Angeles, CA; Montvale, NJ; New York, New York and many more

What Roles: Director of Information Management, R&D Tax Credits Senior Manager, Campus Recruiting Manager and many more

What Employees Say: “Plenty of opportunity to ladder up and lattice across the org to gain experience and breadth. Predictable raises in the base comes with consistent performance. Depending on org will see good work/life balance and work arrangement flexibility.” —Current Associate Director

2. Bucknell University

Company Rating: 4.3

Where Hiring: Lewisburg, PA

What Roles: Electrician, Training Consultant, Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and more

What Employees Say: “Great co-workers. Beautiful campus. Wonderful benefits. Student body active and engaged with campus life and interested in personal development as a means for career success. Creative freedom. Great work/life balance.” —Former Assistant Director

3. General Mills

Company Rating: 3.7

Where Hiring: Berkeley, CA; Hannibal, MO; Minneapolis, MN; Minnetonka, MN and more

What Roles: Manufacturing Supervisor, Senior Financial Analyst, Retirement Administrator and more

What Employees Say: “Opportunity to grow as a leader in a best practice environment with incredibly smart, talented colleagues. This is a company that truly is invested in ‘doing the right thing all the time’, one of its core values[…] A great place to work for a global company and learn how to run a business and build brands from one of the very best operators in the industry.” —Current Employee

4. HomeWatch Caregivers

Company Rating: 3.8

Where Hiring: Los Angeles, CA; Anaheim, CA; Framingham, MA; Orem, UT and more

What Roles: Home Health Aide, Certified Nurse Assistant, Med Tech

What Employees Say: “Will[ing] to be flexible and reasonable with my time and my needs as an employee. Passionate and driven company with a strong goal to care for others no matter what the circumstance. Cares for their employees just as much as their clients.” —Current Client Services Coordinator

5. Rover.com

Company Rating: 4.7

Where Hiring: Seattle, WA; Spokane, WA

What Roles: Accountant, Payroll and Benefits Specialist, Marketplace Analyst, Customer Experience Specialist and more

What Employees Say: “Rover is at a really great stage right now. Employees are able to have a huge impact, experience a ton of ownership and have the ability to leave a mark on the business. At the same time the company is large enough to offer some structure, organization, and support which enables a much better environment. We are basically solving similar problems as Uber, AirBnB and others but at a much earlier stage, smaller company. The current environment combines the positive aspects of a start up culture with the mentorship and upper mobility of a larger company.” —Current Employee

6. Boise Cascade

Company Rating: 3.7

Where Hiring: Chester, SC; Florien, LA; Medford, OR; Westfield, MA and more

What Roles: Senior Design/Fabrication Tech, Material Handler, Operations Manager, National Account Field Representative and more

What Employees Say: “Laid back environment, very egalitarian. PTO was more than reasonable and the hours were the same everyday. Sales is empowered to negotiate prices even at low levels. Mistakes are expected and the management is more interested in solving the problem than finding who is to blame.” —Former Sales Management Trainee

7. Cabell Huntington Hospital

Company Rating: 4.0

Where Hiring: Huntington, WV

What Roles: Medical Lab Tech, Radiology Technologist, Carpenter II, Staff Pharmacist and more

What Employees Say: “Great Pay and Benefits. This is a union hospital and is one of the best there is[.] I currently moved away or I’d still be there. [Worked] there 8 years.” —Former CNA

8. Kimberly-Clark

Company Rating: 3.8

Where Hiring: Atlanta, GA; Maumelle, AR; Neenah, WI and many more

What Roles: HR Business Partner, Manufacturing Operator, Ethics & Compliance Senior Manager, Senior Brand Manager and many more

What Employees Say: “K-C realizes that to have a strong business you need strong employees, so they encourage you to increase your skills and become a better leader. They offer quite a few professional development courses and allow performing employees to move on to new jobs every 18 months.” —Former Senior Treasury Analyst

9. Mindbody Inc.

Company Rating: 3.8

Where Hiring: Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; San Luis Obispo, CA; Scottsdale, AZ; Southampton, NY and more

What Roles: Director of Product Management, Senior Market Researcher, Sales Trainer, Senior Database Administrator and more

What Employees Say: “Excellent place to work and software to use. Their set of core values is really inspiring to hear from such a large company. Humble and Helpful is my personal favorite. There is a strong sense of care for customers and their well-being not just about profits.” —Current Tech Support Specialist

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10. United Way

Company Rating: 3.6

Where Hiring: Charleston, SC; Missoula, MT; Richmond, VA; Saint Louis, MO and more

What Roles: Salesforce Manager, Development Senior Associate, Donor Relations Officer and more

What Employees Say: “The people who work here are smart, friendly, warm and committed. We are doing really amazing work. We are trying to break the cycle of poverty and I can’t imagine something I would rather be working toward.” —Current Employee

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11. Dominion Resources

Company Rating: 3.8

Where Hiring: Akron, OH; Columbia, SC; Lusby, MD; Richmond, VA; Waterford, CT and more

What Roles: Chemist III, Engineer III, Meter Reader, Senior Counsel and more

What Employees Say: “Honestly this place feels like a second home when you are an employee here. Everyone gets [along] with each other. The work load is very well balanced. There are plenty of benefits and the management is very easy to talk to. As long as you are willing to work and not be absent-minded then this company should be an option for you.” —Current Engineer II

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12. Atlantic Health

Company Rating: 3.9

Where Hiring: Austin, PA; Natick, MA; Various locations, NJ

What Roles: Medical Biller, Nurse Practitioner, Administrative Clerk, OB/GYN Hospitalist and more

What Employees Say: “Excellent benefits. Some of the best healthcare coverage you will find for very minimal out of pocket costs. Awesome network of physicians to choose from too. Lots of perks (phone bill discounts, gifts every year for company wide accomplishments, ice cream days!) Generally a well oiled machine. Processes set in place, plenty of guidelines to follow. It makes getting work done easy.” —Current Clinical Lab Assistant

AOL.FINANCE

Nine Signs of Age Discrimination

DONNA BALLMAN

May 17th 2011 5:09AM

In my experience as an employment lawyer representing employees, I’ve found that the recession was particularly hard on older employees. They seem to have been disproportionately targeted in layoffs, and they have a much harder time finding new jobs.

Employers might assume you’re close to retirement and don’t need a job, but that’s far from true for most Americans. They might also assume that older employees will miss more work or have more medical issues. Yet statistics show that older employees tend to be the most reliable. It’s not only foolish to discriminate based on age — it’s also illegal for most companies to do so.

Who’s Protected From Age Discrimination?

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act says that it’s illegal for an employer to discriminate against you because of your age, but that only applies if you’re age 40 or older, and only if the employer has at least 20 employees (or is a government of any size). Some states, counties and cities have laws that protect employees of smaller organizations. Some states also have laws that further limit age-based discrimination. Always check with an employment lawyer in your state when in doubt.

But How Do I Prove Age Discrimination?

Here are the top signs that you might be a victim of age discrimination:

1. Biased comments

These are the most obvious signs, and thus the rarest. If your boss calls you “grandma” or “old man,” asks you about your retirement plans, says that they want a younger image, or says that your best days are behind you — document it. This could be considered direct evidence of discrimination. If there are any witnesses, write down their names. Note dates, times and places.

2. Comparisons

Look around you. Pay attention to how younger employees are treated. If they are treated differently than you under the same circumstances, that could be evidence of age discrimination. Who was laid off and who wasn’t? If older people were the primary targets, start writing down their names, along with the names of younger, less-qualified employees who were kept on.

3. Disparate discipline

If you’re disciplined for something that younger employees do without consequences, write it down. They might be building a case against you due to your age.

4. Promotions

If you’re more qualified than a younger employee, but you’re not chosen for a promotion that you applied for, it may well be due to your age.

5. Favoritism

If younger employees are given the best leads, assignments and equipment, this could be a sign of age discrimination. Additionally, if older employees are excluded from key meetings, or if the boss only socializes with younger employees, then these too may be signs of age-based discrimination.

6. Hiring younger employees

If you see a pattern of your company hiring only younger employees, or if you are turned down for a position that you apply for and see it given to a less-qualified younger employee, it may be a sign that the company is discriminating due to age.

7. Suddenly stupid

Does the attitude at work change after you hit an age milestone? Or does a new boss only like younger employees? If you turn, say, 50 or 60 and suddenly get negative performance reviews and write-ups, you might have an age-discrimination claim.

8. Harassment

If it doesn’t affect you in the wallet, it’s considered harassment. If you think your boss is trying to make you miserable due to your age to try to get you to quit, or if you’re being called names and made fun of due to your age, start writing it down.

10. But the boss is older

Even if the boss is your age or older, if they prefer younger employees over older ones, it still might be age discrimination.

What to Do If You’re Being Subjected to Age Discrimination

If the company hands you a severance agreement and you think you’ve been targeted for layoff due to your age, contact an employment lawyer. They might be able to negotiate a better severance package for you. Plus you might be giving up rights that you don’t need to sign away. Always read and understand before you sign.

If you’re being harassed (something that doesn’t affect you in the wallet) because of your age, then the Supreme Court says that you have to report it, if the company has a harassment policy, and give them a chance to fix the situation. Only if they don’t remedy it, or if the harassment continues, can you file a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or your state agency. If you just up and quit, or if you skip this step, you may lose your right to sue for discrimination.

If it’s an adverse employment action, like denial of a promotion, a demotion, suspension without pay, or termination/layoff, you need to file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC (they’re at http://www.eeoc.gov) or your state/county/city agency before you can sue.

You will have either 180 days or 300 days from the date of discrimination, depending on your state, to file with the EEOC.

Your state/county/city might have different deadlines. Don’t miss your deadline! This is a requirement before you’re allowed to sue.

Federal employees have a completely different set of rules for filing a discrimination claim. They have 45 days to see their designated EEOC counselor, with an entire investigative process that circumvents the EEOC. There’s a morass of tangled hoops to jump through, so if you work for the federal government be particularly careful not to miss any deadlines.

Most importantly, if you think you’re the victim of age discrimination, gather your notes and evidence and go see an employment lawyer in your state, so that you can find out whether you have a potential claim and what you need to do under your state’s laws.

……………………..

NOV 3, 2013 @ 12:30 PM 310,135 

11 Sneaky Ways Companies Get Rid Of Older Workers

Deborah L. Jacobs ,  

FORBES STAFF 

I cover personal finance for baby boomers.  

Three friends of mine have lost their jobs this year under the pretense of a reorganization or been told that their positions were being eliminated. All are extremely accomplished professionals in their 50s. Is this the latest way companies are getting rid of older workers?

I asked Donna Ballman, a Florida employment lawyer and author of the book, Stand Up For Yourself Without Getting Fired: Resolve Workplace Crises Before You Quit, Get Axed or Sue the Bastards, to answer that question, and offer insights about some of the stealth ways companies are ditching older workers. Little did I imagine that she would come up with 11 scenarios. Check this list to see if any of them sound familiar. Then take the steps she recommends to protect yourself.

Ballman’s blog is Screw You Guys, I’m Going Home and she tweets as @EmployeeAtty. Her past articles for FORBES include, “Ten Things Your Boss Doesn’t Want You To Know.”

By Donna Ballman

Older workers are still suffering in the aftermath of the Great Recession. More than half the people aged 50 and older who participated in a recent AARP survey said they had either experienced or witnessed age discrimination in the workplace. Yet four out of five Americans over 50 say that they are going to have to delay their retirement plans and work well into their golden years. These two factors together have created a crisis for baby boomers.

Companies looking to ditch older employees can be creative in the ways they try to avoid age discrimination claims. Here are 11 of their sneakiest ploys.

1. Job elimination. One of the most common excuses used to get rid of older employees is “job elimination.”However, that may just be an excuse for what is really age discrimination. If the company is not really eliminating the job, just changing the title and putting someone younger is your former position, you may have an age discrimination claim.
2. Layoff. The company is supposed to attach to a layoff notice a list of other employees included and excluded from the layoff, along with their ages. Employers can be sneaky about the way they put together these reports. Some will show only select departments or specific job titles, which don’t give the whole picture. More often, they’ll include a few under-40 employees to make the bloodletting look less like age discrimination.

Still, if you are selected for layoff and younger, less-qualified employees at your level are not, you might have an age discrimination claim. If you’re part of a one-person or small “layoff” and you can show that younger people are not being included, then you may be able to prove age discrimination.

3. Suddenly stupid. If, after years of great performance reviews, you’re getting reprimanded for things everyone does, or being nitpicked for things the company didn’t care about before, it’s possible that the company is gearing up for what I call the “suddenly stupid defense.” They’re building a case to get rid of you for poor performance – trying to show a “legitimate reason” other than age for firing you. If you’re being targeted for write-ups when younger employees do the same things and aren’t written up, you may have an age discrimination claim.
4. Threatening your pension. I’ve seen cases where the company threatened that if the employee didn’t retire right away, it would look for ways to go after that worker’s pension. That’s a scary threat, but it may be a hollow one. First of all, few people have what would be considered a “pension” (a lump sum paid out every month). Most people have 401(k)s or similar savings plans that your employer can’t touch.

Your employer may claim that you can lose your right to your vested pension if you’re fired “for cause,” but it’s not that easy. You have appeal rights if they deny your benefits, and you can sue if you aren’t satisfied with the administrator’s decision. If you’re being threatened, it’s time to run speedy-quick to an employment lawyer in your state who handles claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act or ERISA – the law governing employee pension plans and other employee benefits.

5. Early retirement. One way employers get rid of older employees is offering a package that includes incentives to take early retirement. Some of these packages are too good to pass up on, so if you are offered one, consider it carefully. If you turn it down, remember you can still be fired at will. However, if the company only fires the older folks, you might have an age discrimination claim. If the early retirement is involuntary, such as when the only alternative offered is being fired, then it probably violates age discrimination laws.
6. Mandatory retirement age.If your employer still has a mandatory retirement age, it’s probably breaking the law. There are exceptions for firefighters and law enforcement. There is also a very limited exemptionfor employees who are at least 65 years old, who were bona fide executives or high-level policy-makers for their last two years, and who received an immediate nonforfeitable retirement benefit of at least $44,000.
7. Cutting job duties. One way to force older employees out is to cut job duties, limiting your authority and humiliating you with low-level tasks. You may have age an discrimination claim if this happens. So don’t just quit in disgust. (See “Is It Better To Quit Or Get Fired?”)
8. Isolation. Cutting you out of meetings, excluding you from lunches, and sticking you in a cubicle far from the action is another way employers try to get older employees to quit. If only younger employees are being included in activities from which you are excluded, this is evidence of age discrimination.
9. Denying promotions or opportunities for advancement. It’s illegal for an employer to deny you a promotion just because they think you’ll retire soon. Cutting job duties and isolating you are sneaky ways for them to claim you don’t have the experience or qualifications to get a promotion or to advance in the company. If your opportunities are limited after you hit one of those age milestones, it’s time to document what is happening and see whether they are also targeting younger employees for similar treatment.
10. Cutting hours. Another way to put senior employees under duress is to cut hours to the bone. Starving you to death is a way to force you to quit. Here, too, look around and see if older employees are being targeted.
11. Harassment. Cutting hours and job duties, isolating you and assigning menial tasks are all forms of harassment. Other examples of age-based harassment are: calling you the “old man,” or “old lady”; constantly asking when you’re going to retire; saying you’re senile; or making other comments related to age.

Follow the company’s policy for reporting harassment. I suggest you do that in writing. Title this document, “Formal Complaint of Age-Based Harassment and Discrimination.” Describe how you’re being singled out for treatment different than younger coworkers. Note any ageist comments that have been made to you; any other older employees being targeted; and whether there are any witnesses or evidence. Give the company a chance to investigate. If they don’t remedy the situation or if the harassment continues, it might be time to contact an employment lawyer.

If there are signs at work that you’re being targeted because of your age, make sure you document everything. Take steps to protect yourself before it’s too late.