Mass. school superintendent fails must-pass English test

Associated Press ^ | 08-03-03

[Brian S]

This city's superintendent of schools, who recently put two dozen teachers on unpaid leave for failing a basic English proficiency test, has himself flunked a required literacy test three times.

Wilfredo T. Laboy called his failing scores "frustrating" and "emotional." He blamed his performance on a lack of preparation and concentration, as well as the fact that that Spanish is his first language.

[Just another Joe]

Doubling up, are we? ;^)

[brityank]

Laboy, who receives a 3 percent pay hike this month that will raise his salary to $156,560, recently put 24 teachers on unpaid administrative leave because they failed a basic English test.

Those that can -- do.
Those that can't -- teach.
Those that can't do or teach -- administrate.

The 'Peter Principle' in action?

[Kenny Bunk]

I hope you did not quote these statistics as a way of criticizing the performance of this school district.

These numbers, aired in an NEA Meeting, would be regarded as a triumphal reaffirmation of their methods. Ye Gods, there was a 400% increase in the number of students moving to the advanced level in English and Mathematics! Even in Science and Technology (waddeva that is, it must be real hard) has shown a substantial increase in "Proficient" students. At the bottom end of the scale, the number of failing students has fallen dramatically in all categories, except in Science and Technology, which is, as I have said, real hard.

By Jingo, this Laboy may not be too good at the English, but boy o boy, he is really getting results with the kids.

Waddaya say we give him a raise?

[MarkL]

You know, I believe that this could be the definition of irony! It would be funny, if it weren't so tragic!

Mark

[OldEagle]

Mea maxima culpa.

[optimistically_conservative]

These numbers, aired in an NEA Meeting, would be regarded as a triumphal reaffirmation of their methods.

You're obviously correct, that's why State Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll said Laboy "was doing an excellent job leading the district ...."

[MarkL]

According to this article, 17 Lawrence teachers fight fluency rule , they have to take an Oral Proficiency Interview.

I wonder how many of these people will be able to correctly answer a question when one is AXED of them!

Mark

[.cnI redruM]

Yeah, but if you just threw a lot more money at the problem, this guy would magically be able to right Shakespearian Sonnets.

[MarkL]

I think that this school district needs to ban snow, since it's culturally insensative!

Mark

[Principled]

Amazing what passes for administrators these days.

[Bonaparte]

The town of Lawrence has produced exactly one thing I like. Suzie Castillo.

[Political Junkie Too]

"It bothers me because I'm trying to understand the congruence of what I do here every day and this stupid test," Laboy told The Eagle-Tribune of Lawrence in a story published Sunday. "What brought me down was the rules of grammar and punctuation," Laboy said. "English being a second language for me, I didn't do well in writing. If you're not an English teacher, you don't look at the rules on a regular basis."

The most common question I remember hearing others ask as a middle school student was, "Why do I have to learn this? How is it going to help me later on? When am I ever going to use this?" Having said what he said, how will this superintendent answer the question to other students in the future?

-PJ

[Principled]

"This is the type of pedantry up with which I will not put."

[Principled]

"What brought me down was the rules....." Laboy said.

Should was be were?

Well, no. The subject of the sentence is the singular pronoun what. It does sound odd though.

It's like the correctly grammared sentence, "None of us speaks English well."

[Ben Chad]

We could outsource his job to India for less than $8K a year.

[Semper911]

an insultingly simple language exam, that I daresay the most keyboard/syntactically challenged freeper could ace after several cocktails.

You hit it on the head, sir.

I am a teacher in Massachusetts, and I had to take the exact same test that this dolt can't pass. I can tell you that this test is passable for middle schoolers, let alone superintendents.

The test consists of 3 parts.

First, you listen to a spoken essay on a tape recorder (played for the whole room-god help you if you are sitting in the back). They play it a few times, once very slowly, and you write what you hear, adding punctuation, capitalization, etc.

Second are some multiple choice and fill-in questions that your 8th grader could ace.

Lastly, they give you some writing prompts, and you write a couple of essays.

As I recall, one of mine was a persuasive essay, and I forget the other.

I make no apology for the state of public education, because I know first hand that many teachers and administrators are complete idiots. Instead, I switched careers and became a teacher in an effort to make a difference.

Freepers here who declare open season on teachers could consider doing the same.

[freebilly]

95% of all college educated Indians could pass the test....

[Bonaparte]

...and French was the first language of Jacques Barzun.

[freebilly]

What tribe?