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Kids were doing much better in school 50 and 60 (and more) years ago with the same summer absence. So I don't think that is necessarily the reason for the low grades.
Spoken like someone whos personal message is "Fox news rules"
The education system has changed dramatically since the 1950's. For one, many students didn't take science intensive courses, math was basic, and English wasn't nearly as extensive as it is today.
Just for an example, have you ever watched "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?"
People who haven't been in out of school know less than the average 5th grader does today.
The courses I took in college are being taken by middle schoolers today.
Spoken like someone whos personal message is "Fox news rules"
The education system has changed dramatically since the 1950's. For one, many students didn't take science intensive courses, math was basic, and English wasn't nearly as extensive as it is today.
Just for an example, have you ever watched "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?"
People who haven't been in out of school know less than the average 5th grader does today.
The courses I took in college are being taken by middle schoolers today.
It is due to other issues... not the fact that there is a summer break.
As those who attended school in the '40s and '50 (and even '60s), the lessons were just as hard back then and teachers were very strict.
I just looked it up. In 2007, the school system in my area spent:
$10,942 per kid in general education.
$8,472 additional per student in special ed (so a total of $19,414 per kid).
$3,255 additional per ESOL student (so $14,197 per kid).
I can't find a figure for what the education of a GT kid costs. But an ESOL student who is also in special ed costs over twice ($22,669) the amount to educate as his middle of the road English speaking peer does. As I understand it, these costs are federally mandated.
Could be because there usually isn't very much of an additional expense.
On a national level, spending on gifted education...
When I was in school, it seemed as if "gifted" programs didn't exist. You might be put into what they called "honors" classes, but at least some of the kids there seemed exceptionally thick.
Three cents out of every $100. That's 0.03% - abysmally low.
It does sound low, but does the general ed population get any federal education money? I'm talking about regular, middle class (smart but not in GT) students.
It does sound low, but does the general ed population get any federal education money? I'm talking about regular, middle class (smart but not in GT) students.
Yes, the general ed population gets a lot of the federal funding through various programs:
Reading First
Impact Aid
Improving Teacher Quality State Grants
Safe & Drug-Free Schools State Grants
21st-Century Community Learning Centers
Educational Technology
State Grants for Innovative Programs
Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities
Charter Schools Grants
Vocational Education
Regardless of which programs are getting the money....they are all being dumbed down. The work my kids did in the AIG (gifted and talented) were comparable to the classwork AVERAGE students were doing I was in school. Now the average students are in classes comparable to the remedial classes of my day. (Gosh, that makes me feel old..."Back in my day.....").
Our middle school is among the top 10 in the state and still my kids had NOT ONE real writing project or research paper before moving on to high school. Starting in 6th grade we had a book report due every week or two and that continued through 8th grade. That meant we had to READ a book every week or two, know how to spell and write a grammatically correct sentence, structure a paragraph, make a summary and draw conclusions, know how to do basic character analysis, identify plot, theme, etc. Our 7th grade AIG classes read one book every SIX WEEKS and then there wasn't a written report but a multiple choice test in the media center. 8th grade was about a book every 3 weeks but still the multiple choice tests instead of written reports. My DD's high school has to teach a semester course for the sole purpose of covering everything these kids DIDN'T learn in middle school. It is required before they can take the real high school language arts courses.
Don't even get me started on math. Ok, I'll go anyway. Only now are they offering Algebra as the standard option for 8th graders in AIG. Before this year it had been an extra special class for only the most, most 'gifted' students and you had to pull teeth to get your kid in even if they qualified. Most other advanced countries offer Algebra earlier or it is the standard in 8th grade, EVERYONE takes Algebra. Here most kids will be in the dumbed down math class for 8th grade. We couldn't get DS in so he had to double up on math his freshman year of high school. Many students aren't willing to do that and so will finish high school with less math than students in other countries. Why aren't our all of our kids ready for Algebra in 8th grade? Why isn't it even OFFERED???
I'll say it again. We don't need more of the same. We need higher standards. We need schools that will encourage excellence and challenge our students rather than being concerned about what their test scores look like at the end of the year. I'd rather have 8th graders taking Algebra and testing 95% proficient than taking a lesser course and testing 100% proficient. Unfortunately our 'top' middle school would rather test at 100% and so no Algebra. How stupid is that!!! This is going on all over the country, not just here. The dumbing down of American schools needs to be addressed and we don't need more hours or more days to do it!!!
Why is it that the "non-gifted" students are using exactly the same textbooks as the "gifted" students?
Also, this term "gifted" is usually applied to those who are more skilled in an academic environment, and does not involve those with specialized talents. Some people can draw, sculpt, play music, play football, have leadership qualities...and their "needs" aren't addressed by "gifted" programs because they might be average in intelligence, but talented in their area of interest.
Why is it that the "non-gifted" students are using exactly the same textbooks as the "gifted" students?
Also, this term "gifted" is usually applied to those who are more skilled in an academic environment, and does not involve those with specialized talents. Some people can draw, sculpt, play music, play football, have leadership qualities...and their "needs" aren't addressed by "gifted" programs because they might be average in intelligence, but talented in their area of interest.
In some cases the 'gifted' students are doing the work a year ahead of the average students and using the same books. Sometimes the average class does the same work but at half the pace, they will complete only half of the book while the gifted class completes the whole book. In our middle school the average kids take 'transitional algebra' in 8th grade which is the Algebra 1 book but they only do about 1/3 of the material and then as high school freshmen they take Algebra 1 and start with the same book but complete it. What a waste of 8th grade!!
In some cases the books, materials and lesson plans are completely different as was the case for our AIG LA classes. As bad as the AIG standards were the average classes were appalling, seriously. 5 vocab words a week, nothing but poster board projects and coloring...IN MIDDLE SCHOOL!! And these aren't dumb kids. This school is in a wealthy area but most parents think that the high rankings equate to a quality education. People don't even know their kids are in remedial math and LA.
No, my kids aren't gifted....I never thought they were. But, the AIG programs aren't designed for truly gifted students anymore. That was partly my point. Some students are being falsely elevated to 'gifted programs' which are dumbed down to an average level and students in the average classes are doing remedial work. The standard is lower for everyone. AFAIK there are no classes offered in our middle school for the few kids who are truly gifted. If I had one of those students they would be in private school or I would have continued home schooling.
Regardless of which programs are getting the money....they are all being dumbed down. The work my kids did in the AIG (gifted and talented) were comparable to the classwork AVERAGE students were doing I was in school. Now the average students are in classes comparable to the remedial classes of my day. (Gosh, that makes me feel old..."Back in my day.....").
Our middle school is among the top 10 in the state and still my kids had NOT ONE real writing project or research paper before moving on to high school. Starting in 6th grade we had a book report due every week or two and that continued through 8th grade. That meant we had to READ a book every week or two, know how to spell and write a grammatically correct sentence, structure a paragraph, make a summary and draw conclusions, know how to do basic character analysis, identify plot, theme, etc. Our 7th grade AIG classes read one book every SIX WEEKS and then there wasn't a written report but a multiple choice test in the media center. 8th grade was about a book every 3 weeks but still the multiple choice tests instead of written reports. My DD's high school has to teach a semester course for the sole purpose of covering everything these kids DIDN'T learn in middle school. It is required before they can take the real high school language arts courses.
Don't even get me started on math. Ok, I'll go anyway. Only now are they offering Algebra as the standard option for 8th graders in AIG. Before this year it had been an extra special class for only the most, most 'gifted' students and you had to pull teeth to get your kid in even if they qualified. Most other advanced countries offer Algebra earlier or it is the standard in 8th grade, EVERYONE takes Algebra. Here most kids will be in the dumbed down math class for 8th grade. We couldn't get DS in so he had to double up on math his freshman year of high school. Many students aren't willing to do that and so will finish high school with less math than students in other countries. Why aren't our all of our kids ready for Algebra in 8th grade? Why isn't it even OFFERED???
I'll say it again. We don't need more of the same. We need higher standards. We need schools that will encourage excellence and challenge our students rather than being concerned about what their test scores look like at the end of the year. I'd rather have 8th graders taking Algebra and testing 95% proficient than taking a lesser course and testing 100% proficient. Unfortunately our 'top' middle school would rather test at 100% and so no Algebra. How stupid is that!!! This is going on all over the country, not just here. The dumbing down of American schools needs to be addressed and we don't need more hours or more days to do it!!!
I agree with you about school districts making a big deal about test scores. We are on temporary assignment in the DC area and so many people here are stuck on the idea that unless their kids go to one counties school district they will not be getting a quality education. They seem to forget that getting a quality education for your kids requires work from several different factions, the child first and foremost, parental involvement and then the schools. They all seem to think their children will not be able to get into a prestigious school unless they attend a school with high test scores.
My kids all test really high on these standarized tests, yet I haven't seen the benefit of them unless of course you count they are pretty good at filling in bubbles.
What amazes me the most about Obama's plan was hearing him actually say extending the school day would keep kids out of trouble, since when did it become the schools responsibility to keep my child out of trouble? Isn't that the responsiblity of the parents. I have also heard numerous people say that it would keep kids out of trouble.
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Only now are they offering Algebra as the standard option for 8th graders in AIG. Before this year it had been an extra special class for only the most, most 'gifted' students and you had to pull teeth to get your kid in even if they qualified. Most other advanced countries offer Algebra earlier or it is the standard in 8th grade, EVERYONE takes Algebra. Here most kids will be in the dumbed down math class for 8th grade. We couldn't get DS in so he had to double up on math his freshman year of high school. Many students aren't willing to do that and so will finish high school with less math than students in other countries. Why aren't our all of our kids ready for Algebra in 8th grade? Why isn't it even OFFERED???
