Cooking the Books -- Public School Style...

[tybrad]

Originally Posted by flacaltenn

I've seen too many slick academic experiments foisted on the K-12 public schools in my lifetime.. From the "whole language -- kill phonics", to "new math" to "group assignments" to gradeless evaluations done en masse with dismal, mostly destructive results. ALL THAT experimentation done on our kids and the teaching leadership of K-12 has the nerve to whine about NAEP testing as being "distracting"????? They tease gullible parents with slick marketing ploys like a 5-6th grade "Journalism Magnet School" that affluent parents stampede to like K-Mart lemmings -- but can't fathom why jonny needs to be able to calculate the area of a rectangle or find a verb in a sentence structure??

Uhhh... don't lay that one on teachers' doorsteps. Those initiatives were from teachers being manhandled by administrators and politicians.

I have already, "for the record", previously stated my stance on something to hold teachers accountable, and have suggested one. What is going on is not it... CLEARLY. No one wants to take a look at the Far East to see how it does work because of our screwed-up social life, and our opinions (and dollars) on what is important to us. And their systems work because teachers are treated with professionalism, hired carefully, placed carefully, have the resources and home backing, and will t-r-a-c-k. Why has vocational training in K-12 situation faded?

Return rolled eyes...

Tyler

[flacaltenn]

I clipped these out of NAEP results tests circa 2002.. THe percentages are the CORRECT respondents.. We need to look at the specifics.. Not generalizations of this testing issue.. If you're not appalled -- there's no hope.. Eight grade.

15.
Under which of the following circumstances would you be most likely to find snow in
equatorial regions?

A) In areas below sea level
B) In areas at high latitudes
C) In areas at high elevations
D) In winter
(51%)

In the space below, list one product that people in the United States eat, drink, or use every day that typically comes from another country. Then explain why the United States imports the product from another country.
(45%) 22% partial

8.
The major areas of wheat production in the world are the central United States and Canada,Ukraine, south central Australia, and the pampas of Argentina. What is the characteristic shared by these areas that explains their role in wheat production?

A) All have rainy, damp climates.
B) All are near sea coasts.
C) All are plains.
D) All are in highland regions.


15.
The Lend-Lease Act, the Yalta Conference, and the dropping of the atomic bomb on
Hiroshima are all associated with the

A) First World War
B) Second World War
C) Korean War
D) Vietnam War
(41%)


Explain why the framers of the Constitution established a system of checks and balances
among the three branches of government.<br>&nbsp;
(2% appropriate, 22% partial).....

Questions 16-17 are about the song below.

O Freedom!

O Freedom!

O Freedom over me!

And before I'd be a slave,

I'd be buried in my grave,

And go home to my Lord and be free!


16. The song was associated with

A) the temperance movement
B) the civil rights movement
C) pioneers on the Oregon Trail
D) farmers in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression


17. The song suggests that in the United States there has been a relationship between

A) slaves and organized labor
B) education and social class
C) reform and religious ideas
D) African Americans and American Indians
(although 80% correctly identified civil rights only 14% could put that into context of reform and religious ideas....)

3. What is the length of this pencil to the nearest quarter inch?
(picture of a pencil superimposed on a ruler.)

A) 3¼ inches
B) 3¾ inches
C) 4¼ inches
D) 4 inches
E) I don't know.
(58%) [[[32% can't use a ruler???? ]]]]]

11.
Kate bought a book for $14.95, a record for $5.85, and a tape for $9.70. If the sales tax on these items is 6 percent and all 3 items are taxable, what is the total amount she must pay for the 3 items, including tax?

A) $32.33
B) $32.06
C) $30.56
D) $30.50
E) $ 1.83
(45%) [[[Guess grocery shopping or clerking is out of the question]]]]

13. Ground beef costs $2.59 per pound. What is the cost of 0.93 pound of ground beef?

A) $3.52
B) $2.78
C) $2.47
D) $2.41
E) $1.66

Did you use the calculator on this question?
(44%)

6. A club held a car wash and washed 21 cars. If the club raised $84, how much did it charge per car?

A) $0.25
B) $4.00
C) $5.00
D) $1,764.00
(92%) [[[kinda looks like a 50/50 chance to me]]]]

You can peruse the results of multi-year testing results at:

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/

In GENERAL -- About 25 to 30% are hopelessly failing.. Only about 30% are proficient or better in any of the basic subjects. THIS -- is a telling result.. It should NOT be hidden.

Plenty of other organized views of the results by race, grade, ect. at:

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itemmaps/index.asp

If the Dept of Ed SHOULDN'T be doing this (because the states fudged their results before DC stepped in) --- then they little role AT ALL in participating in fixes. And maybe we should just get THEM out of the way...

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by tybrad

No one wants to take a look at the Far East to see how it does work because of our screwed-up social life, and our opinions (and dollars) on what is important to us. And their systems work because teachers are treated with professionalism, hired carefully, placed carefully, have the resources and home backing, and will t-r-a-c-k.
Tyler

Something that both my wife and I have noticed. She taught English in Japan for a large corporation. I taught Asian software engineers here in the U.S. Especially the South Koreans, when shaking hands prior to their departure they would reach up with their left hand and touch my elbow. I discovered later that this was a sign of respect.

At one point when she was based in Hong Kong she taught dis-advantaged children in Kowloon. I asked if she ever noticed anyone folllowing her because the Ancient Walled city is not for the faint of heart. I would imagine that one of the Tongs would have secretly guarded her to see she came to no harm.