We are the only country in the world that tests ALL of our kids. Then we compare ALL of our kids to SOME of the kids in other countries (generally the college bound). And everyone wrings their hands and says oh no, we're failing to educate our kids.
Here are the facts:
1. When we disaggregate our test score data and remove the non college bound kids (generally the very low income and future dropouts) and compare our college bound kids to the kids tested in other countries, we come out in the top three. Not 37, like those stupid Exxon Mobil commercials. But in the TOP THREE.
2. High school graduation rates have risen consistently since WWII in every state in the country.
3. Dropout rates have gone down consistently in every state since WWII.
4. College admission numbers continue to go up.
5. Test scores in every state in the country have risen since 2002, when NCLB took effect. The reason most people don't know this is because the required proficiency ratings have risen every year, as required in NCLB. To put it simply, year 1 a state had to have 25% of their kids score at a proficient level on the state standardized test, year 2, 50% had to score at a proficient level, year 3, 75% and so on until 100% of the kids had to score at a proficient level. Schools that don't reach the required proficiency level are labeled as failing. So a school could have 20% at proficiency level one year and increase that to 30% the next year and even though the scores had gone up, the school would be labeled as failing.
****So we're screwed because we will NEVER have 100% of our kids scoring at a proficient level. It's impossible. It's like saying every kid in the class is going to get an A.****
That's it in a nutshell. Even though we are doing a much better job of educating our kids and have the data to prove it, that same data 'proves' our kids are failing. It's just a great big shell game.
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