How Regulation Leads To Low Literacy Among Teachers, Then Students

Forbes ^ | January 19, 2015 | George Leef

[reaganaut1]

New York recently administered a test to 11,371 people who want to become public school teachers, a new requirement mandated by the State Board of Regents. Keep in mind that these are college graduates who have been through education schools. Surely they all possess enough knowledge of English to pass the basic Academic Literacy Skills test – right?

Not even close. Only 68 percent achieved the passing score of 520 points out of 600. Graduates of colleges in New York City did even worse. At many schools, the pass rate was under 50 percent and at one, not a single student managed to pass. (More details can be found in this New York Post story by Carl Campanile.)

People familiar with education schools are not at all surprised because they’re noted for admitting some of the academically weakest undergraduates, then immersing them in “progressive” theories such as that good teaching is mainly about encouraging students to feel good about themselves. Thus we get the blind leading the blind.

[Hardens Hollow]

no surprise. I got a teaching certificate in Texas, then a credential in California. All the classes were a joke. Just showing up ensured you’d pass. The last class I took, I wanted to see how little i could do and still pass. I got to the point where I wasn’t studying, wasn’t reading the book, skipped classes, then did the test as fast as I could. still got an A. I have no idea how anyone got Bs and Cs.