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Nobody Wants to Be Responsible for Dismal K-12 Test Scores
The New York Times ^ | April 2, 2025, 9:00 a.m. ET | Jessica Grose

Posted on 04/02/2025 2:06:23 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

There’s a bill under consideration in the Florida Senate that removes the teeth of state testing requirements for graduation. And Florida is not the only state working the refs — removing state testing requirements even as national test scores decline.

In order to graduate from high school and earn a standard high school diploma, Florida students must pass a standardized English Language Arts assessment in 10th grade and pass a statewide algebra test, or earn comparable scores on SAT or ACT exams. If the bill is signed into law, students won’t have to pass either test to graduate.

Florida would join Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Alaska in lowering their testing standards or graduation requirements of late. After the absolutely dismal National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores from 2024, which showed that a higher percentage of eighth graders scored “below basic” in reading than at any point in the test’s 30-year history, you would think that states’ education leaders would be putting serious time and effort into helping their students thrive. The NAEP is a congressionally-mandated federal exam given to fourth graders and eighth graders every two years and 12th graders about every four years to track educational progress across the country.

All of this is reminding me of something President Trump famously said in the spring of 2020 about coronavirus, “‘If we stop testing right now, we’d have very few cases, if any.” If we stop testing America’s students, we’ll have fewer bad headlines about how poorly they’re doing.

Unfortunately, Linda McMahon, the education secretary, agrees with President Trump’s executive order that the Department of Education should go away,...

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: education
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Unfortunately, Linda McMahon, the education secretary, agrees with President Trump’s executive order that the Department of Education should go away...

President Trump is a threat to bureaucracy!

1 posted on 04/02/2025 2:06:23 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Blame it on Randy Winebottle. She’s the DOE union thug.


2 posted on 04/02/2025 2:08:01 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (If you're an average "middle American", white supremacist Sen. Chrissy Coons called you stupid.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

...then no one should complain when the $$ is taken away.

(no sarc!)


3 posted on 04/02/2025 2:08:44 PM PDT by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Close the public schools.

They do far more harm than good.


4 posted on 04/02/2025 2:11:08 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

It’s just a 107-page bill at this point, which I don’t have the energy to read or understand.

Its author:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corey_Simon


5 posted on 04/02/2025 2:16:02 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Of course not.
Has a vile RAT ever taken responsibility for anything bad they’ve ever done?
They destroy everything they touch….everything.


6 posted on 04/02/2025 2:16:14 PM PDT by lgjhn23 ("On the 8th day, Satan created the progressive liberal to destroy all the good that God created...")
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

K-12 performance used to be much better back in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. What’s different? Maybe we should ask.


7 posted on 04/02/2025 2:17:42 PM PDT by rightwingcrazy (;-,)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Teach like you mean it. Went to grandparents day when my granddaughter was about 8. Her papers were on the wall ouside the classroom...with all the other kids.

Looked at her papers....not a vowel to be seen in her paragraphs...but a big smile face by the teacher. Seems they don't want to hurt the kids feelings. I was soooooo pi****. So I got a little toy that can help you learn to spell...and little by little explained that words need vowels...with a couple exceptions.

Had to teach her how to write script and her times tables.

A nice blackboard helped. Now we're talking second grade. Glad I was around. It gave me purpose.

Grandma also taught her how to catch worms, gut a fish...and not to put potato chips in her bookbag. That took a small demo on the front sidewalk....the army that showed up to haul off the chips was unbelievable. Lesson learned!!

8 posted on 04/02/2025 2:20:13 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I hate to dispute such an authority on everything such as the NYT, but I’ll give it a shot. There is a ‘practical’ reason why states are eliminating tests for h.s students to have to pass a test to graduate. Too many would fail. And too many of the ‘wrong sort’ would fail. That would look like racism. You’d have some 21-year-old seniors in the same school as 15-year-old freshmen. What could go wrong?

Since now, in too many places, the prime directive for public schools is to ‘keep the kids off of the streets’, failing kids for poor/no performance, poor/no attendance or kicking out kids who are violent and disruptive is no longer an option. Keep them off the streets, give them their worthless and meaningless diploma at the end of 12th grade. Rinse and repeat year after year.


9 posted on 04/02/2025 2:21:20 PM PDT by hanamizu ( )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

NYT hit piece on Forida because:

“Florida Ranked #1 in Education for Second Year in a Row”

https://www.fldoe.org/newsroom/latest-news/florida-ranked-1-in-education-for-second-year-in-a-row.stml


10 posted on 04/02/2025 2:23:20 PM PDT by TexasGator (1)
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To: rightwingcrazy
K-12 performance used to be much better back in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. What’s different? Maybe we should ask.

Jimmy Carter bought the teachers' union vote in 1979 by creating the hallowed Department of Education.

You couldn't possibly be referring to that, could you? 🤡

11 posted on 04/02/2025 2:23:23 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats are the Party of anger, hate and violence.)
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To: hanamizu

See #10


12 posted on 04/02/2025 2:23:58 PM PDT by TexasGator (1)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

;-,


13 posted on 04/02/2025 2:27:14 PM PDT by rightwingcrazy (;-,)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I’ll bet Mary can tell you why Billy has two dads.


14 posted on 04/02/2025 2:27:23 PM PDT by Mean Daddy
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
I will always remember the observation made by a substitute teacher at my (parochial) high school. He was explaining why he gave up his career as a public school teacher and was doing substitute teaching while working on a master’s degree in another field:

“We don’t need better schools. We need better students.”

15 posted on 04/02/2025 2:31:43 PM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Well, maybe I'm a little rough around the edges; inside a little hollow.” -- Tom Petty, “Rebels”)
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To: Sacajaweau

https://www.google.com/search?q=excessive+use+of+elipsis++literary+device&client=tablet-android-samsung-rvo1&sca_esv=aff5b07d3c99793e&ei=xqztZ-ySK8qUwbkPoe6tYQ&ved=0ahUKEwjsjeyMprqMAxVKSjABHSF3KwwQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=excessive+use+of+elipsis++literary+device&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiKWV4Y2Vzc2l2ZSB1c2Ugb2YgZWxpcHNpcyAgbGl0ZXJhcnkgZGV2aWNlMgcQIRigARgKMgcQIRigARgKMgcQIRigARgKMgcQIRigARgKMgUQIRifBUiHtgFQsgxY350BcAF4AJABAJgBhAGgAbsMqgEDNy45uAEDyAEA-AEB-AECmAINoALzCsICChAAGLADGNYEGEfCAggQABiABBiiBMICCBAAGKIEGIkFwgIFEAAY7wXCAgYQABgHGB7CAgsQABiABBiGAxiKBcICChAhGKABGMMEGAqYAwCIBgGQBgiSBwQzLjEwoAeaUbIHBDIuMTC4B-EK&sclient=gws-wiz-serp


16 posted on 04/02/2025 2:35:07 PM PDT by TexasGator (1)
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To: logi_cal869

bttt


17 posted on 04/02/2025 2:38:50 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: TexasGator
“Florida Ranked #1 in Education for Second Year in a Row”

Agreed. Standardized testing often means schools taking time to teach students to score high on a bogus test instead of using that time for actual education.

18 posted on 04/02/2025 2:43:28 PM PDT by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Even in Massachusetts, supposedly having the best schools in the country, the situation stinks. I’m lucky to have this problem I guess. Our family is full of high achievers. My immediate family - Harvard, Dartmouth, MIT, John’s Hopkins, Michigan, Boston College, Boston University, Holy Cross, just to name a few.

My youngest is 13, attends public school. His last three report cards - Seven A+’s. School is too easy. For extra work he takes an astronomy class from a Yale professor. He’s enrolled in 2 creative writing classes outside of school. Tonight he takes his entry exam for the Russian School of Mathematics.

My older two sons are excelling at Michigan and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

My point in writing is you have to take this on yourself as a family. You CANNOT rely on public schools to meet your standards. Challenge your kids. The future literally depends on it.

As Robert Heinlein said - “Don’t handicap your children by making their lives easy.”


19 posted on 04/02/2025 2:45:00 PM PDT by strider44
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Eliminate the Fed from education...Make education driven state by state...One size does NOT fit all....


20 posted on 04/02/2025 2:50:58 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC.....Patriotically Correct)
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