[California] Governor signs bills on school accountability

AP ^ | 9/28/5

[Carry_Okie]

However, do not denigrate the teachers of this country just because you may have found a few who were not well qualified.

A FEW??? Lady, you are totally misinformed. This list took me less than ten minutes to put together.

Teachers have failed the test in every county, but a third of all teachers, teachers' aides and substitutes flunked the state's basic skills test for teachers at least once.

Excluding Philadelphia, 77 percent of the 2,905 teachers statewide passed, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. One-third of the teachers statewide who failed work in Philadelphia.

In Massachusetts Nearly 60 percent of the 2,000 prospective teachers failed the test. But the state Board of Education, with backing from Mr. Haydu, voted last week to lower the passing grade, reducing the number who failed to 44 percent. . BTW, 63% of math teachers failed the math test.

In Los Angeles, tests were given to teachers to evaluate their knowledge and abilities. These tests were known as CBest exams. Passing standards were set at fifth grade elementary expectations. Huge percentages of teachers failed the test, and then complained to their union, and fought to have the test eliminated.

last year only 202 out of 758 teaching applicants in a suburban New York district passed a reading comprehension test drawn from the state's high school Regents English exam.

Over 90% of all teachers are certified to teach. The test data proves that certification accomplishes NOTHING.

I would not want someone teaching my children who had not been through the proper educational program and passed with decent grades.

Proper according to whom?

As to accomplishment and home education, I don't expect public schools to deliver what my kids learn. They both started college level work before they were twelve. It isn't that hard.

[Goodgirlinred]

You have proved my point. Teachers must be accredited and must graduate with decent grades.

My daughter is certified to teach K-6. She takes continuing education courses and is working towards her masters degree. She graduated with honors.

I don't know about your state, but in Virginia children who are home schooled receive the lesson plans from the STATE (prepared by teachers) and their tests, etc. have to be sent to the STATE to be graded and their progress noted by TEACHERS!

I am glad that your children are doing so well. You must be doing a good job. However, thank a TEACHER for your ability to do this!!!

[Carry_Okie]

You have proved my point. Teachers must be accredited and must graduate with decent grades.

No, you proved that you are incapable of analyzing the data. If 90% of teachers are accredited and over half fail tests they give their own students, the accreditation means nothing.

My daughter is certified to teach K-6. She takes continuing education courses and is working towards her masters degree. She graduated with honors.

From what I have seen of graduate teacher education, that doesn't impress. My mother was a teacher with two masters' degrees BTW, and in her latter years should have been fired for incompetence.

I don't know about your state, but in Virginia children who are home schooled receive the lesson plans from the STATE (prepared by teachers) and their tests, etc. have to be sent to the STATE to be graded and their progress noted by TEACHERS!

HSLDA will fix that eventually. A range of educational curricula that exceed the standards of any public school are available online. Most states do not (and should not) attempt to control a home curriculum. The students do better than their peers anyway.

I am glad that your children are doing so well. You must be doing a good job. However, thank a TEACHER for your ability to do this!!!

Equine feces. According to you, I couldn't be doing a good job because I am not trained to do it. As it is, I spend less time teaching my kids now than I did when they were going to school, in part because I don't have to deal with the problems the school induced. I spent a good part of the first two years of home schooling my younger daughter UNDOING THE DAMAGE done by a private school implementing some modern wack-job theory of learning how to write (one of the reasons we started teaching them at home). I didn't have to teach my older daughter calculus (although I am qualified to do so); she did it herself and was recommended for college level physics by a university professor simply by presenting her work. She was twelve at the time. From that you should get a clue regarding what home education is all about: It is not taught; it is learned.

My kids also study material I never had the opportunity to read: Tacitus, Cicero, Plutarch, Julius Caesar, Homer, Herodotus... It would be impossible for me to "teach" them that information. Instead, I (mercilessly) criticize their writing derived from that material and make certain that they can support a reasoned argument with citations. Thus, I could not be "certified" to teach the material, but they are getting a great education.

[LexBaird]

Yeah but what's this CHARTER SCHOOLS: Charter schools will have more oversight from county superintendents, crap!

Because some places are ALL charter schools. Like Pacific Palisades, Arnie's hometown. It's the wealthy area dodge to get out from under the LAUSD thumb and secure bennies for the local area.

[Goodgirlinred]

You can thank a TEACHER for your knowledge and ability. I am happy your children are doing so well. However, most children are "schooled" in public schools and do quite well. Your mother, if indeed she deserved to be fired in her last years of teaching, probably did not have continuing education standards to meet, and perhaps not the opportunity.

Furthermore, I graduated Summa Cum Laude, and I thank my TEACHERS for their excellent guidance and pointing me in the right direction in my studies.

I can analyze data just as well as anyone. You have compiled data from whatever sources to support your opinions. I do not feel the need to do so. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak.