Posted on 06/24/2008 1:16:23 AM PDT by neverdem
Reading and math scores for New York students in grades three through eight showed extraordinary gains across the state since last year, with particularly striking leaps in the large urban areas, including New York City.
The gains were apparent for nearly every grade tested in both subjects, in some cases with double-digit increases in the percentage of students performing at grade level or above, according to the scores on the annual statewide exams released by education officials on Monday.
The improvements were so substantial that several education experts expressed skepticism, noting that large gains were posted even by cities like Buffalo, whose schools have struggled for years.
They also said the statewide results were not in line with the relatively static performance of New York students in the most recent years on federal tests known as the nation’s report card.
In New York City, this year’s results had an added significance for Mayor Michael R....
--snip--
And while that pattern was also true in New York City, the percentage of students scoring at the highest level was far less drastic and, in fact, declined for the fifth, sixth and seventh grades in reading and in third-grade math.
--snip--
Mr. Mills and Mr. Klein have both repeatedly said that the national test is less comprehensive because not all students are required to take it, and it is not aligned with state curriculums.
But some education experts have suggested that national tests are important to provide a uniform standard and an independent assessment for states.
“The difficulty of the test can bounce around from year to year naturally,” Mr. Petrilli said. “And certainly it is hard to do when the politics are that we want to see big improvements. When it’s a state grading itself, there is always reason to be concerned.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
/sarcasm
Who are they kidding. It does not work this way at all and they know it...their whole claim is suspect!
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list.
Sex for grades?
You don't need sex, just easier tests. Each state dances to its own tune.
Predictably, the words “No Child Left Behind” do not occur in the story. The media template has identified NCLB as a failure, so any increases in test scores must be attributed, as in this story, to some mysterious and completely occulted development.
Of course this is a suspicious claim. The NYT is in full
commie propaganda mode.
yhey’’ give credit to the results due to the anticipation of an Obama presidency.
“Standards have been lowered yet again to make smarter students!!”
CORRECT!
Can’t have failing school districts let kids have CHOICE!
Notice the article does state that long essay questions
have been replace by shorter multiple choice
questions.
It could be as simple as someone changing the reporting technique.
Happens to our company internal reports all the time.
Hmmm... sounds to me like teachers (oops, I forgot... “educators”) are starting to realize the jig is up and are adjusting scores again.
Mayor Bloomers is determined to leave a legacy. And he will.
But of course, not the legacy he dreamed about.
His most recent suggestion that NY raise it’s gas taxes is a perfect example of a man living in another world.
Is this because schools are dumping anything that isn’t to be tested and teaching solely to the test? Or did they dumb down standards to create an inflated sense of improvement?
My son is in a middle school which is rural and covers a large area of the population, (ie. lots of cash flow). Seems to me the requirements are well above average and they drill it into the kids heads (in class study and practice tests) making sure they do know the material. In the end they are learning what they need to know.
Does this correspond to the number of illegals deported??
For reading at grade level the results are abysmal:
58% of students in the New York City district can read at grade level, 55% of students in Yonkers, 47% of students in Rochester, 43% of Buffalo students and 42 percent of Syracuse students can read at grade level.
And-—as some more objective critics say about the “improvement” from last year—they are either teaching to the test or the tests got easier.
Reading and Math Scores Rise Sharply Across N.Y.
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I’d start looking for teachers and principals who cheat.
Sylvan Learning Centers do the work and the government teachers and principals take all the credit! Great! ( sarc)
So...By lowing the standards, they reduce the number of kids going to the Sylvan Centers. I get it! There is now more money for the government school to waste.
By the way,...good point about the “big luxurious cars”!
Every time you see a big luxurious car on the road, please remember: There goes someone who could pay for their own kid's tuition!
You took the words right out of my mouth.
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