Posted on 03/04/2007 6:42:28 AM PST by SmithL
AFTER ALL those years of educators focusing on improving the basics in public schools, how is it possible that the National Assessment for Educational Progress just gave America's high school seniors their lowest score for reading since 1992?
Students in elementary school have improved their skills in reading, writing and math, but the improvement "stops in middle school and completely stops in high school," answered Jim Lanich, president of California Business for Educational Excellence in Sacramento and a member of the National Assessment Governing Board, who called me from a NAGB meeting in Nashville.
The new NAEP report found that the percentage of high school seniors who read at or above basic levels decreased from 80 percent in 1992 to 73 percent in 2005. A mere 23 percent of seniors were rated as proficient in math, even though students were allowed to use calculators for one-third of the test.
More bad news: Despite an all-out effort from the federal and state governments, the achievement gap between white and minority students remains essentially unchanged. President Bush challenged the "soft bigotry of low expectations." Many educators say they now expect more from all students, but they are not delivering.
Grade inflation could be a culprit here. . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
See also:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1789409/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1789269/posts
Classic Socialist doctrine. Keep them stupid so they are easily duped by propaganda.
The grades are assigned on a curve, with considerations for self-esteem, while the test results are reported as they actually happened, regardless of the self-esteem involved.
Lets see..... Drugs,legal and other, less school, more and longer holidays, less qualified teachers, teacher anti teaching unions, liberals in charge, no ideals or morals; it is a wonder that any of pass.
The increasing number of non-English speaking children from illegals
The continued demise of the social underclass due to building effects of failed liberal social programs.
Add this in and the math does the rest.
Actually, by law, the school year has increased by about two weeks. By casual observation, there were more using drugs back in my day than there are now.
There is massive grade inflation at the college level. Professors want students to say nice things about them on the evals.
No, I'm tired of hearing it's all the school's fault when parents don't take responsibility for their own offspring. You don't like your school? Fix it, move, or shut up.
This is bogus. NCLB focuses on primary grades and could not be expected to affect current high school seniors, at all.
That would be my guess. I just got back from S. Florida, where English appears to be optional. Even the store signs are in Spanish. There doesn't seem to be any reason for non-english speaking kids to learn the language.
Do you suppose a couple of generations of public school students taught(?) under flawed curriculums by flawed educrats has something to do with this situation? After all these people are our current crop of parents, educrats and governing elites.
The evidence suggests that YOUR GUESSES ABOUT ILLEGALS ARE COMPLETELY WRONG.
From the article "the achievement gap between white and minority students remains essentially unchanged"
So if illegals are causing lower scores and are counted as whites, what has caused the other minority scores to go down as well.
And if illegals are counted as minorities and not whites, what has caused the whites scores to go down the same as minorities.
Further, how has illegals caused grade inflation ?
One of the few times I agree with you. But, the schools are also culpable by failing to impress upon the students that there is more need for them to study hard and do well in school than just getting good grades. Most of the kids in school today are convinced that they will all be millionaires as the result of either winning American Idol, becoming a rap star (stage name of Diddy Pass), or becoming a pro-athlete.
Producing a permanent class of morons is essential for the socialist doctrine and, so far, the socialists in the NEA are right on schedule to meet their goal.
Clearly, what we need to resolve this mess is to throw even MORE money at education (/sarc). The nearly $600 billion we throw at our public education system each year is more than enough to fight the GWOT, but not enough to teach our kids to reach, add, or give a crap about their education.
I have never met a professor concerned about his student evaluation.
The grades are assigned on a curve, with considerations for self-esteem, while the test results are reported as they actually happened, regardless of the self-esteem involved.
It was written by a women.
Remember the recent study that could be summed up with "Women use 2,000 words to describe what a man can describe in 200"?
Bracing for impact!
And your explaination of Charles Dickens' long winded ramblings is what?
I don't think that is really the problem .
I really think the problem isn't that simple .
I went to high school in Miami in the 80's . (drugs , teachers that really were not qualified to teach , parents who just didn't care , low expectations )
My daughter is in high school now but now in south central Florida .
If I hadn't sat her down and taught her how to read she would probably be in the same boat most of her fellow stundents are . In her current high school everything is dumbed down to the point that their honor roll includes every student who scores C or above .
There is no incentive to want to do better and teachers expect nothing from their students . On the whole parents seem to busy to want to care . I am tired of arguing with them and am still teaching her (she has excellent grades and her test scores are very high but the school has nothing to do with this )
Just a couple of weeks ago another mother went into the school and started arguing with the administrators that the school was steeling her childs education and they had her arrested . For the most part though most parents are very happy that their C stundents are on the honor roll . =( low expectations from students an d parents that think their children are special is a huge problem .
This article mentions video games as being so bad for children . Well I played them and so does my daughter . Playing PC games has made her interested in computers (she has learned to take them appart and fix them (I taught her not the school ), it has greatly improved her typing and language skills and given her a very good hand eye cordination )
Blame needs to go where it belongs poor parenting and really poor teaching and no expectation . My father was a teacher , teaching has really changed since then though.
Thanks. It getting hard to remember if I read something before, although on FR it is pretty likely.
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