Students Ace State Tests, but Earn D's From U.S. (NYT)

[Up2Late]

(More evidence of how stupid an idea "No Child Left Behind" was!)

Students Ace State Tests, but Earn D's From U.S.

By SAM DILLON
Published: November 26, 2005

After Tennessee tested its eighth-grade students in math this year, state officials at a jubilant news conference called the results a "cause for celebration." Eighty-seven percent of students performed at or above the proficiency level. But when the federal government made public the findings of its own tests last month, the results were startlingly different: only 21 percent of Tennessee's eighth graders were considered proficient in math.

Such discrepancies have intensified the national debate over testing and accountability, with some educators saying that numerous states have created easy exams to avoid the sanctions that President Bush's centerpiece education law, No Child Left Behind, imposes on consistently low-scoring schools. A comparison of state test results against the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress, a federal test mandated by the No Child Left Behind law, shows that wide discrepancies between the state and federal findings were commonplace.

In Mississippi, 89 percent of fourth graders performed at or above proficiency on state reading tests, while only 18 percent of fourth graders demonstrated proficiency on the federal test. Oklahoma, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Alaska, Texas and more than a dozen other states all showed students doing far better on their own reading and math tests than on the federal one.

The chasm is significant because of the compromises behind the No Child Left Behind law. The law requires states to participate in the National Assessment - known to educators as NAEP (pronounced nape) - the most important federal measure of student proficiency.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/26/education/26tests.html?ex=1290661200&en=fdf05ea7edbf1440&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss>
(more at link above)

[knight_of_the_star]

1. This is very telling

If only one or a handful of related states with similar policies showed this gap it would say one thing, but that so many with notable differences between all involved show such a difference is very telling that the test used by NCLB is probably fucked up.

[Davis_X_Machina]

3. NAEP is a good test...

...as such things go, and definitely antedates NCLB, my guess is by nearly 20 years.

It is an important longitudinal study -- and makes Maine look good to boot!

The real problem is bogus local standards -- if you want local control so you can teach Creationism, you also get local control that sabotages NCLB....

[Up2Late]

5. Exactly, what this really shows is how far the States have gone...

...to ensure they meet the "Progress" requirements of NCLB in order not to lose the Federal Dollars.

There have also been reports of the teachers and school administrators changing wrong answers or giving the students the answers as they take the State tests, so that they end up with acceptable results for the NCLB money.

[Davis_X_Machina]

2. For every GOP shibboleth...

...there is an equal and opposite shibboleth.

The very fetishizing of 'local control' that makes the patchwork adoption of ID possible also makes possible the state-by-state patchwork disassembly of the vast NCLB 'accountability' apparatus.

They'll have to decide who's the bigger enemy -- Darwin or the teachers' unions.

[Erika]

4. The dumbing down of America continues

led by Bush red staters. Who would have guessed?

[NashVegas]

24. Here's a Small Surprise

South Carolina was one of the few states that made it's test tough. "World class," the article called it.

So now they've got that and Dismal Swamp.

[madfloridian]

6. Same thing happened in Florida last year.

One day the paper was exulting over the great FCAT scores. The next day they had to print that they did not meet national standards.

Well, I have taught while the FCAT was in use, and it is very tough. I think the national standards are set for failure.

[NNadir]

7. One needs to ask whether the tests measure thinking.

They generally do not.

What the measure is the ability to pass rote tests.

More than the failure of different tests to agree that is the real problem. We need to remind ourselves that the same people who appoint those who make these tests also appointed Michael Brown to head FEMA. I am sure that many in the US Department of Education, like Mr. Brown, are fashion gods, but few, I bet, are educators.

[lolly]

9. I'm not sure about that

I believe, as another poster mentioned, the national tests have been in use for a while--before this admin--and probably haven't changed.

I wouldn't argue against all testing. When testing becomes the be-all-and-end-all of schooling, critical thinking and creativity definitely fall by the wayside, producing good regurgitators.

But I've also seen what happens when there's no emphasis on "rote" learning at all; students who went through "Mathland" and other types of programs came out with no calculation skills and little or no ability to manipulate numbers or understand them.

Ideally, you learn the rote material--numbers, times tables, dates, facts, names of presidents, etc--but you also learn what to do with all this material--evaluating and understanding the material.

[DoctorMyEyes]

16. an aside on "rote" learning

For all the criticisms that I've heard about learning by rote, I was recently struck with a sort of "mini-epiphany" while watching the SAME episode of Dora the Explorer for about the 8th time with my 3 year old granddaughter. Not only is she learning by rote - but, she's pretty insistent about it and enjoys it. I think rote learning may be sort of "hard-wired" into young children so they can get a firm handle on the basics before their learning/thinking/reasoning abilities mature.

Just my little thought...

[lolly]

21. Makes sense to me

Another key point here is the "making it fun" part.

Connecting the basic "rote" learning to other enjoyable activities--following narratives, or playing a game, for example--seems to be much more effective than endless "kill and drill" tactics.

Children do feel a sense of accomplishment when they've mastered the times tables or learned how to spell words correctly. It's not the absolute end of learning, but it's an important building block for more conceptual learning.

Dora's actually good at both parts of the deal here--helping children memorize, and encouraging them to put pieces of knowledge together to think logically, make conclusions.

She's annoying as all get-out for adults, but I think she's fabulous for kids.

[Up2Late]

22. I think you might have something there, when I was a kid (about age 10-15)

I memorized several entire comedy albums, but after about 17, I lost interest in that sort of thing.

If it wasn't for "School House Rock" and "Sesame Street" I, most likely, would have failed out school.

I could, (and probably still could) recite all of "Alice's Restaurant," Bill Cosby's "Wonderfulness" and "Right" and several Cheech and Chong records and one by Hudson and Landry.

I don't think my parents ever caught on to the fact that a Cheech and Chong record was probably not appropriate for a kid UNDER the age of 16 or 17.

[NNadir]

23. These days, I would certainly under-emphasize calculation skills.

One of course needs to understand certain kinds of functions that previously were mostly associated with calculation - logarithms come to mind - but the fact is that calculation is less and less important. Personally, I was was rather good with calculation when I was a kid forty years ago, but I never do any of it anymore. I do everything with spreadsheets, and I'm quite thrilled that I have that tool.

The important thing is to learn how to think, and think creatively. It is creative thinking that matters. Everyone I know who is intimately familiar with modern education is less and less satisfied with the thinking part.

This is anecdotal but my kid is basically getting C grades in 5th grade math, but that does not disturb me at all. I know how he thinks, and I'm quite happy with how his education is going, even in math - which is his worst subject by far. We, are however doing much of the useful stuff at home during off hours. His math "skills" are of more concern to the school because they are very much focused on their scores on tests. That, in my opinion, is too bad.

[waiting for hope]

8. The bad thing about all

of this is that the teachers are all about prepping the students for these tests....a lot of science and history is being left out to prepare for the math and reading. What is getting lost by this program?

[alfredo]

10. The federal findings showing a failing grade could be bush's way

to justify funding cuts.

You are not performing up to standard, so you haven't carried your part of the bargain. We're cutting you off until you bring your scores up. The catch is; you will never live up to our standards. Taking your funding ensures your failure.

Want fries with that sucker?

[Erika]

12. W continues that he will transfer $ to Bennett's education plan

and transfer our tax $ to private education, in which, W will exempt them from test scores upon hearing Bennett had hard times in Vegas and Atlantic City.

[alfredo]

17. Oh and look for a tax credit for gambling losses for those

who earn more than $1,000,000 per year.

[Up2Late]

20. I think your answer might be the correct one.

Any means necessary to cut social programs to give the money back to the rich.:banghead:

[lovuian]

11. I've seen it for myself the Dumbing Down of America!!!

all schools have decided to teach to these tests and not to teach the course!!!

Its devastating our children!!!

[formercia]

15. That's the plan

The wealthy and priviledged send their children to private schools where they are educated to be leaders and the rest of the working class gets just enough to perform in a service economy.

The New World Order:
a small very weathy upper class
Robber Barons
a small "merchant Class"
lots of poorly educated working class

The "New World Order" is actually the old world order of the 19th Century before progressive minded people began to change society for the betterment of all.

[guruoo]

13. Thanks for putting this up...

[daleo]

14. They should pray harder

Test scores would surely come up. I mean, this is just basic science.

[saddemocrat]

18. I went to school in Texas...

the year that they came out with the proficiency exam. It was a 2-day test that covered basic reading/math skills. The State decided that any student that didn't pass couldn't graduate. I missed exactly 2 questions on the entire exam...1 from math and 1 from reading...and I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. It was shockingly easy...I laughed by arse off over it. Sadly, several of my honor's student buddies failed and had to take remedial courses to re-take in order to graduate. Of course, at that time, I was in AP English and we were learning vocabulary words by watching cartoon slides...:wtf: ...and I spoke better german than my german teacher, who insisted that learning the actual grammar wasn't important as "german's just slur everything together anyway".

Oh, they also had the teachers take the exam and 3 of our teachers failed...I couldn't believe it!

The tests were incredibly easy. I also moved from Florida 4 years ago after completing my graduate studies...I had the 'opportunity' to work with some of the schools. They teach to the test..giving practice test after practice test...

[SoCalDem]

19. As long as "enough" bright kids manage to make it through the system

the powers that be are perfectly happy.. the new economy will not tolerate a bunch of intelligent, yet unemployable people, so as long as they are made to feel inadequate, they can accept the fact that the $8.00 an hour job is good enough ..

Keeping aspirations low..that;s what this is about.

The privileged few will be ready and able to fill the good jobs..