The data mining of your children and family.

Are you aware that schools are collecting invasive information on YOUR child and sharing it with "stakeholders"?  States aligned with Common Core are required to maintain an SLDS or Statewide Longitudinal Data System which tracks just about anything they can find out about your child and family.   Sound a little far fetched?   Illegal?   I will share with you just a fraction of  the information I have come across during my research.  There are a lot of links, but I assure you that you will want to read every bit of what I'm sharing with you.  I urge you to make copies and share because this information tends to get scrubbed from the internet.


You can about the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems here... https://nces.ed.gov/programs/slds/about_SLDS.asp.

Another good resource to explore on the subject... http://ies.ed.gov/data.asp.  You'll notice that these aren't coming from "second hand" sources...they are coming straight from Government websites.

The National Education Data Model contains around 400 points, including health history, disciplinary history, family income range, voting status of parents, religious affiliation, etc.  More info can be found at this link.  https://ceds.ed.gov

Pressure sensitive seats and mice, classroom FMRI's, facial recognition software and wireless skin conductance sensors that measure response to a student's exposure to subject material are in the works.  Sound like a Sci Fi movie?  This image is from page 44 of a Government document called " Promoting Grit, Tenacy and Perserverance:  Critical Factors For Success in the 21st Century"....

The link to the publication is here.....  http://tech.ed.gov/files/2013/10/OET-Draft-Grit-Report-2-17-13.pdf.

The most important thing you can do is read it, the information it contains is unreal.  I was shocked to see this on page 92.

• "As new forms of measurement emerge, there are important ethical considerations. As always, privacy is a particular concern, especially when leveraging data available in the “cloud” that users may or may not be aware is being mined. Another consideration is that learners and teachers now have the potential to get new forms of feedback about their behaviors, emotions, and physiological responses. Measurement developers must carefully consider the impacts of releasing such information to individuals and incorporate feedback mechanisms that are valuable, respectful, and serve to support productive mindsets.
  These subthemes suggest important general directions for research in the field.
  Conclusion 11: There is a critical need to advance measurement methods for several purposes: (1) practical tools for educators and learners, (2) tools for program design and evaluation, (3) instrumentation for research, and (4) diagnostic indicators to provide early warnings to schools about vulnerable students. New and emerging technologies provide important new opportunities."

New programs for tracking students and their behaviors seems to be cropping up daily on iTunes and Google, Amazon, etc.  I'm not certain of the security of the info collected and how vulnerable it is to hacking.  In my experience, you will not get a straight answer from school Administrators about data collection, so you have to do your own investigating.  I've tried to make it a little easier by adding info about some of the programs I have info on.

The first, TS GOLD (sometimes know as GOLD)   http://teachingstrategies.com/assessment/  A quote directly from a document on their website titled "Teaching Strategies GOLD:  Fast Facts for Decision-Makers"..  Online, Teaching Strategies GOLD offers even more support for assessment of children with disabilities: it is fully aligned with OSEP (Office of Special Education Programs) outcomes. It automatically converts the information entered from Teaching Strategies GOLD to the seven‐ point scale on the Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF), enabling administrators to generate OSEP‐mandated reports. Plus, for children who have IEPs, Teaching Strategies GOLD online will automatically provide teachers with additional dimensions related to self‐care, including feeding, toileting, dressing, and safety.

 Here is another link from TS GOLD  Birth through Kindergarten product under the "alignments" tab....  http://shop.teachingstrategies.com/page/73190-gold-assessment-toolkit.cfm#alignments

In this screen shot, they are talking about Birth-Kindergarten and the Army and Department of Defense already have requirements.  Why?  This screams "Hitler's youth" to me!

TS Gold also has an app in the iTunes store...so photos/video of YOUR children can be captured and funneled into the SLDS and shared with "stakeholders".  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/teaching-strategies-gold-documentation/id571518837?mt=8  Here is a link to an instruction video meant for school Admins and Teachers, you can actually see for yourself.  https://vimeo.com/user9054715/review/74935793/4afdfa0043 .   A link to their support page for the product.  http://teachingstrategies.com/support/free-support-curriculum/ .

Pearson (one of the biggest profiteers in Common Core and incidentally tied to the Libyan Government and Guddafi's son) has an app available through iTunes called BOSS (Behavioral Observation of Students in Schools) for educators.   Teachers are able to record and store videos of YOUR children.  These are also funneled into the SLDS and shared with pretty much anyone that thinks they have a stake in education.    Here is a link to the users guide for the system.
http://images.pearsonclinical.com/images/Assets/BOSS/BOSS_UsersGuide.pdf

Another example of YOUR child's invasion of privacy is the iRIS system. This 360 degree camera and microphone system that records every aspect of YOUR child's class, in real time.  The teacher is able to wear an earpiece and listen to feedback and coaching from parties another location.  Here is a link to a user guide for one of the products.  http://www.irisconnect.com/help/Content/PDF/USA_PDF/LiveView_Guide/LiveView_Guide.pdf


We need to, as parents, do our homework and not trust that what is happening today in the schools is being done with the best of intentions.  Our children are being used as test subjects and even worse, we are paying for it.  Schools and Government officials need to see the outrage of parents who are tired of watching as their children are being harmed and their future robbed from them.  Let's them not forget that they are public servants and employed and paid a salary, by us.  We've gotten complacent as a society and are allowing this to happen to innocent children.  Its time to do the work, our children are worth it.