Posted on 05/29/2006 4:05:52 AM PDT by .cnI redruM
Colleges across the country are reporting a drop in SAT scores this year. I've been tutoring students in New York City for the SAT since 1989, and I have watched the numbers rise and fall. This year, though, the scores of my best students dropped about 50 points total in the math and verbal portions of the test (each on a scale of 200 to 800). Colleges and parents are wondering: Is there something wrong with the new test? Or are our children not being taught what they should know?
Before 1994, the verbal section of the SAT was about 65% vocabulary (55 out of 85 questions) and 35% reading comprehension. Then the Educational Testing Service shortened and reworked the test, devoting half of the 78 questions to each area. Last year ETS changed the test again, and now it is heavily skewed toward reading: 49 of the 68 items require students to read, synthesize and answer questions.
In such a way, ETS has increased the penalty for not reading throughout one's school years.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
You got that right! I go in to my job each morning prayerfully. I come out thankful. In between, I try to teach kids something that matters...despite all the forces in their lives that would seek to prevent/inhibit this.
The institution we call public education today is one of the enemies to teaching today. A colleague of mine once said, "Learning is a subversive activity." He would often cite that little ditty to his classes to coax them toward embracing the pursuit of knowledge. I think I would add to his saying and say, "Teaching [true teaching] and learning are subversive activities--in our public schools."
I live in a school district ranked 149th in the country. I went to a school disrict ranked #1 in NJ. The difference is stark. We do have very high SAT scores now, and we spend 20k per kid. However, we have at least 1 day per week off due to teachers union lobbyists in Albany. Kid are definitely not learning the r's as well as we did. There's a lot more technology in the classroom and my kids can find anything on the internet. It just seems like the school's make them feel good no matter how dumb they maybe has turned these kids into wusses. There just seems to be something lacking from the process.
In addition, the school is mired in regulation, in spite of or because of its success. The superintendent estimates that he has to follow 17000 fed, state and local rules. Seems to me that when a school is obviously succeeding, it should be completely deregulated and they should concentrate on the failing schools.
You say, "work with. There is a fundamental disconnect, though, between the curriculuum philosophies of the elementary, middle and high schools that is causing serious problems. The elementary schools are not stepping up and taking responsibility for educating their students. If a kid can't read at the end of first grade, no problemm we'll worry about that in second grade."
And the parents are exactly where in this mix. If a kid can't read by the second grade then the parent should be paying attention to what is happening with their own child. The teacher has 30 students - if one student is falling behind it is the joint responsibility of the parent and the teacher. You seem to believe that the parent is the helpless victim if their child falls behind. Most kids CAN read - if your child can't then stand up and take notice.
I agree completely with Brilliant. If we had deliberately set out to create a dysfunctional culture, we could not have surpassed what we've got. It's going to take some catastrophe, or set of catastrophes, to return our society to reality - and it's going to be both brutal and painful.
Retiring is an option one has after twenty+ years, what would you do if that's not an option?
>>>>Calculators were not introduced because they wanted to test "higher level" skills. They were introduced because insane theories of math education and other factors had resulted in generations of students who could not calculate.
Thank you. No one knows how to calculate anything without a machine anymore. It's discouraging.
"If parents were required to pay for the education of their children, only then will America see a dramatic increase in scholastic ability."
If parents were required to pay the school directly for the education of each of their children, very few American children would be in school.
Those few in school would be the best in the world.
To MarDav - well said.
You can't teach a person who doesn't want to learn. The music on their ipods and the brand name on their shoes means a hundred time more to many students than the results of any test.
"... better "race norm" these SAT scores before the truth gets out."
don't worry ... I'm sure The College Board already has a group working on just that.
I spent a day with just such a mom and her two teen-age kids yesterday. Everything you say is true. For some reason, Freepers expect "rugged individualism" and "personal responsibility" to solve poverty, racism, and every other problem you can can name, but when it comes to schools, its the Government that should fix it. Go figure.
Perhaps the essay will be used to check the validity of the essay that students send to colleges. It may also be a decision maker for borderline students.
Some colleges, such as George Mason University, are abandoning the SAT because it is an impediment to "diversity" (racial enrollment quotas). And the value of a college education, especially at places like George Mason, continues to plummet.
I do not know what schools you refer to, but at all too many, student reading comprehension and vocab are both abysmally low.
Why not, it's the American way.
Everybody has their hand out now, they are entitled and will hold their breath until they are blue in the face, or until they get what they want.
Increasingly, the government sees to it that they get what they want.
BUMP
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