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16% of African Americans scored proficient.... but that was outperforming the rest of the participating urban districts. Yay?? Am I just too cynical and can't take good news?
16% proficiency wins a national prize? This was improvement partially attributed to Gorman? I'd be embarrassed to accept the prize.
"We're not satisfied with where we're at," Hattabaugh said. "The Broad Prize is great. The results here are great. But it's not where we need to be by any means."
Not satisfied with 16% proficiency? Really? How much are we paying this guy for his brilliant conclusions?
If we are near the top, imagine what a bunch morons we are raising in the U.S. More specifically, imagine what a lousy job parent(s) are doing outside of Charlotte/Mecklenburg. And, we are nothing to brag about. I am confident that we only did as well as we did due to dumbing down tests so that we would look as good as we do. As long as parents aren't involved in their kid's educations, money spent and facilities won't matter at all. They will continue to be dumber than dirt. My congrats to those in the upper proficiency level.
16% proficiency wins a national prize? This was improvement partially attributed to Gorman? I'd be embarrassed to accept the prize.
"We're not satisfied with where we're at," Hattabaugh said. "The Broad Prize is great. The results here are great. But it's not where we need to be by any means."
Not satisfied with 16% proficiency? Really? How much are we paying this guy for his brilliant conclusions?
No wonder kids are so ignorant. "where we're at?" What kind of grammar is that? Dang.
we've traded good education for standardized test. No Child Left Behind was the worst thing to ever happen to schools IMO.
Kids aren't learning, they are memorizing and with google, smartphones and the internet/microwave culture and it's hard to blame them for having a hard time learning.
Half the kids are on meds because parents have been brainwashed into believing a 4 year old acting like a 4 year old is ADHD or whatever it's called.
I'm not letting parents or kids off the hook because they are a big part of the problem. This new generation has a ton of entitled kids and parents. Kids can't lose, everyone is a winner, red ink is harmful to a kids development, no spanking, kids run parents nowadays...
My wife teaches at a small college and she says the incoming kids are disgustingly under educated.
If we are near the top, imagine what a bunch morons we are raising in the U.S. More specifically, imagine what a lousy job parent(s) are doing outside of Charlotte/Mecklenburg. And, we are nothing to brag about. I am confident that we only did as well as we did due to dumbing down tests so that we would look as good as we do. As long as parents aren't involved in their kid's educations, money spent and facilities won't matter at all. They will continue to be dumber than dirt. My congrats to those in the upper proficiency level.
No doubt. I strongly feel that lack of parenting is much of the problem with this and many other child related issues.
Quote:
Originally Posted by anifani821
No wonder kids are so ignorant. "where we're at?" What kind of grammar is that? Dang.
I missed that! I am trying to make an effort to not be so critical of forum posts, because it will make me crazy if I let it. But sometimes a higher standard should be assumed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Feltdesigner
we've traded good education for standardized test. No Child Left Behind was the worst thing to ever happen to schools IMO.
Kids aren't learning, they are memorizing and with google, smartphones and the internet/microwave culture and it's hard to blame them for having a hard time learning.
Half the kids are on meds because parents have been brainwashed into believing a 4 year old acting like a 4 year old is ADHD or whatever it's called.
I'm not letting parents or kids off the hook because they are a big part of the problem. This new generation has a ton of entitled kids and parents. Kids can't lose, everyone is a winner, red ink is harmful to a kids development, no spanking, kids run parents nowadays...
My wife teaches at a small college and she says the incoming kids are disgustingly under educated.
NCLB would be great if it brought the level of education up rather than the necessary level of achievement down. It's one of many government things I look at and think "How could this make sense to enough people to pass into law?".
Parents don't take parenting seriously enough. I see it in a friend. He and his wife feel that since they send their 3 year old to some horrendously expensive preschool and buy her piles of sticker books, that suffices in place of both parents working 60-70 hour weeks and having a nanny half the time. People seem to have forgotten that kids are a huge responsibility.
I sound like I'm 100 years old, but I'm 45 with no kids. For better or worse, my view is from the outside.
NCLB would be great if it brought the level of education up rather than the necessary level of achievement down. It's one of many government things I look at and think "How could this make sense to enough people to pass into law?".
I agree with you 100%, but we brought the level down.... and we're still talking about a 16% pass rate in some demographics?? Now I do agree with standardized tests, as we have to have some accountability (although by this article, it seems the accountability is the celebration of a 16% pass rate!!), if we didn't we wouldn't see what trouble we're in! But the big question is, what are the children that can and want to learn doing in a classroom full of kids that can't learn the minimum??
Standardized tests measure comprehension. That is one of the most important factors in obtaining an education. Fortunately, standardized tests have been modified over the last five to ten years. Today the test don't only require a multiple choice answer, they generally require a logical explanation of why the answer was chosen.
Throughout life, one's ability to listen and/or comprehend instructions will determine success. If nothing else, standardized tests show ones ability to do just that. One can't past tests today through rote memorization by itself. One must be able to understand concepts.
If one has parents and friends that don't care about education and feel secure that the government will support them for life, there won't be much motivation. It is not the school boards fault.
Standardized tests measure comprehension. That is one of the most important factors in obtaining an education. Fortunately, standardized tests have been modified over the last five to ten years. Today the test don't only require a multiple choice answer, they generally require a logical explanation of why the answer was chosen.
Throughout life, one's ability to listen and/or comprehend instructions will determine success. If nothing else, standardized tests show ones ability to do just that. One can't past tests today through rote memorization by itself. One must be able to understand concepts.
If one has parents and friends that don't care about education and feel secure that the government will support them for life, there won't be much motivation. It is not the school boards fault.
I'm all for standardized tests. There needs to be a yardstick. If the current tests measure ability better than the "fill in the bubble" tests I grew up on, all the better. I agree that the ability to memorize should not account for much of a test score.
There's plenty of blame to go around. I think most of it sits on the parents. I don't expect them to teach their kids, but I do expect them to understand what their kids are or aren't being taught, and act upon it. They are responsible for providing a home environment suitable for learning. The school board and schools fail because of things like a 16% passing rate for black kids. I could guess, blindfolded, and do better than that. The government fails for enacting a directive (NCLB) that even at it's best is a pathetic dumbing down on the country. Obviously it couldn't be curved downward far enough.
Factor in the 30% of students that don't graduate high school, and it doesn't look good for future generations.
Too bad teachers can't say "If you aren't gonna be serious about learning, get the hell outta my classroom."
Maybe if education were a privilege instead of being mandatory, it might be something parents and children saw as worth working hard for instead of sliding through.
Here's my plan: kids all start out on one track. The ones that can't keep up, get put on a remedial track. By the 7th grade, an assessment is done and all those who are college material go on the college track and those who are not, go on the vocational track.
We have to quit proselytizing that everyone needs a college degree, b/c everyone does not. And we need a mandatory class on household management, finances, taxes and investments during high school. We need to get back to basics in elementary school. Drill, drill, drill on math. Spelling, grammar and reading should be facilitated by computer programs.
We are in a mess in this country, mostly b/c everyone is too concerned w/ meeting budgets for bigger and better than just teaching the kids. I would prefer my children be in trailers or old school buildings and receive good instruction than be in new schools and get half-assed instruction f/ teachers who get no respect b/c out of control, apathetic kids know they will suffer no consequences for underperformance and inappropriate behavior.
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