If the United States is having a tough time competing in the global economy now, there is not much hope for the country in the future. The public education system in the U.S is producing a nation of idiots.
New research by the Department of Education indicates that nearly a third of the states have lowered their academic proficiency standards in order to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Law. The study is meant to provide statistical comparisons between federal and state tests to analyze whether or not states have changed their testing standards.
Between 2005-2007, 15 states lowered their proficiency standards in fourth or eighth grade reading or math. Maine, Oklahoma, and Wyoming lowered standards in both subjects in both grade levels. What is interesting about this piece of information is the fact that Oklahoma has no business lowering its standards. The state's public education system has been facing much scrutiny because only one in four of its students could name the first president of the U.S.
According to the study, eight states have increased the rigor of their standards in one or both subjects in fourth and eight grade. On the other hand, some states raised the bar on one subject, and lowered the requirements on another. New York raised the standards for math, and lowered the bar on reading.
While talking to Sam Dillon of the New York Times, Peggy Carr, and associate commissioner at the Department of Education said, "Over all, standards were more likely to be lower than higher," in 2007, compared with the earlier year.
Here are the 15 states that lowered one or more standards:
Delaware
Georgia
Hawaii
Illinois
Kentucky
Maine
Missouri
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Virginia
West Virginia
Wyoming
Researchers found that there is wide variation among states. For instance, the highest standards can be found in South Carolina, and Massachusetts, while the lowest standards are in Georgia, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says that we are "lying to our children." But I think we are lying to parents as well. Lowering standards makes parents think their child's achievement can be compared to students from other states. However, if your child is a shining star in Oklahoma or Georgia, he or she would fail miserably in Massachusetts or South Carolina.
The varying quality of education from one state to another also creates a problem for standardized testing and college entry exams. How can the College Board craft a Scholastic Aptitude Test while considering the massive discrepancy from one state to the next?
Students in at least one third of the country's states are being deprived of an education because districts want to meet the standards of the No Child Left Behind Act. This is disgusting and unacceptable. The public school system in the U.S is fundamentally broken, and it continues to dissolve into something that can no longer be described as education... it's daycare for imbeciles.
Comments
Education will continue to get worse as the Federal government takes more and more control over our schools. NCLB was supposed to increase standards and accountability, but the administative costs take away from the classroom, and the guidelines take away local control of schools.
Dear Ana,
I am a 22 year old Junior Honours politics student at the university of Aberdeen, UK. I really wanted to let you know that I really love your show with Cenk, and that I will be reading your blog from now on (bookmarked). I also find you extremely beautiful which I think is a rare thing in this world because you are also very smart, practical, common sensical /drool (: Good luck in all your endeavours
Ana, I share your anger and sorrow about the disintegrated state of public education. However, I deeply believe that standards and testing -- at whatever arbitrary state or national level is set -- is severally exacerbating the problem. It adds a strong compulsive element to what and when the teachers and students cover, greatly decreasing flexibility and creativity in meeting individual learners needs. The disastrous results on the ground are extremely well documented by tons of researchers as well as anecdotal stories from teachers and students. To me, the saddest stories are kids who are "required" to learn tasks that are actually developmentally inappropriate for most their age, and they end up with a deep aversion to that subject, and learning in general. Here's an older, short article that explains many of the downsides, which have only gotten worse since it was written: "Emphasis on Testing Leads to Sacrifices in Other Areas" www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/ohanian.htm
A more recent and comprehensive article that makes the case against standardized testing:
"Test Ban Entreaty"
www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/hopemag.pdf
"If a school boasts that its test scores went up, parents ought to immediately respond by asking what had to be sacrificed from their kids’ education in order to make that happen.”
What is the reason that these states are not able to meet the same standard as the other states? I'm not really concerned about different standards in different states, surely people will realise later if comparisons need to be made between different students. Maybe a B in New York or Main is really worth an A somewhere else?
nclb was a boondoggle for private tutoring such as Sylvan and other providers. Districts were paying 5k+ just to get a kid up to standard. ntlum is what the bill should have been called: no taxpayer left unmolested. This bill was another stupid ceremony to get a politician a photo op. Everyone else is left to shovel the stall of the policians damn horse.
Ana - your smile and personality is contagious... your partner is so lucky. Without a doubt, you are one of the most beautiful yet natural people on TV. Please don't ever change
I just can't get enough of you ana, so i had to post this again, your too fine! a dimepiece!
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