It appears that the DOE's claim that students academic achievement is getting better took a major blow when the New York State Regents results came in. Both in English and Math there were significant drops in the passing rate. According to the New York Daily News, English passing rates dropped 7% from 77.7% last year to 72.2% this school year. While the Math Regents drop was 9% from 66.2% to 60.5%.
While the English and Math Regents passing rate dropped, at the same time the high school graduation rate increased. This shows the disconnect between the graduation rate and student academic achievement. In other words the New York City schools are graduating students who are unprepared academically for the adult world .
Interestingly, the DOE cited the improved graduation rate as proof of student academic achievement while claiming that the lower Regents passing percentage was due to this year's harder Regents which the State denies. Based upon my previous posts on the graduation rate, I suspect the State is correct.
Further proof, I did an analysis of all Queens, unscreened high schools and that shows the disconnect. In addition, here are the Queens high schools that had poor college readiness scores.
8 comments:
I understand your point. I'm not sure these tests indicate readiness for anything, though. I can teach ELLs to pass the Regents, but it comes at the expense of teaching them English usage and convention, which are not highly valued on the test. I can teach them how to write better, but I don't believe that's the same as teaching them how to pass this test. I write all the time, and I don't use the prescribed terms on the Regents exam, nor do I necessarily respond to pieces of writing like those found there.
The NYSESLAT exam, which supposedly tests English ability, does no such thing and is designed to make ELLs advance from ESL without the skills they really need. That's why everyone in all my classes is now at a lower English level. I can't speak to the math exams, but the state exams with which I'm familiar are crao.
That's not to say that we're doing a great job of graduating college and career ready students either. It might be as bad or worse than you say. But the tests are crap. I'd argue they indicate very little.
the drop in scores across the city mirrored a similar statewide slide that was slightly less dramatic.
"State English and Algebra Regents exams change from year to year, and this year's tests were more difficult and scores decreased statewide,"
This is absolutely correct, and exactly why test scores should never be an indicator for anything to do with how a teacher is teaching or how a school is doing.
Exams are no longer standardized or designed correctly year to year.
Lets just do everyone a favor and get away from test based diplomas and go the consortium route with project based that has been proven over and over to be more effective than test taking.
Test scores are going down in schools like the one Principal Dwarka is in charge. Our students suffer when almost everybody teaching is a newbie.
I have observed presentations of projects used to determine graduation readiness. I found the projects and the presentations lacking.
My desire is to have honesty and integrity in the schools. A high school diploma should mean something. Everyone should finish high school with a minimum of basic academic skills.
Why not stop all the manipulation of the numbers, stop the generous curves on state tests, stop pushing students along, start seeing students as people and not just numbers and go back to a Regents diploma and a basic skills diploma?
The Algebra Regents being more difficult is BS. In the event the items are indeed more difficult, the State manipulates the "cut scores" accordingly. As such, 65 is 65 throughout every administration.
(Note: 65 is not 65%, but it hasn't been for many, many years, even in the Sequential I/II/III courses.)
As someone else said, go back to local diplomas so that there is a basic level most students can achieve, and bring back a legitimately rigorous Regents diploma.
Welcome to the LIBERAL world. Everyone can learn and everyone is a future engineer, doctor, lawyer.... To say otherwise is ......
7:39 hit the nail on the head.
There are some other factors, however.
1) Mass immigration from Latin America to all our cities in the U.S. results in lower test scores because so many are SIFE and many just want to work in a store and be happy, not better themselves educationally.
2) The Smartphone wave is hitting full crest right now. In my high school, almost every student is literally a phone addict now. They cannot concentrate on anything, let alone read 'complex' tests or 'teach each other' in 'student centered' learning.
3) As 5:01 pointed out, they no longer let us teach basic English to non-English speakers. For several years the foolish theory has been they will learn English by osmosis 'through engagement with the content.' Nope, doesn't happen.
It's over folks. Western Civilization is in a slow motion collapse. Get your pension and go to a quiet place and do what you like. No 'reforms' will work anymore, especially since even teaching will soon be replaced by computers.
It's insane how addicted these kids, but the adults are too. Though I'd imagine if I were teaching more (I'm an ATR), I'd be less on my phone. I don't know how to explain any of this, in terms of test scores. I've long agreed with the idea that the state should go back to Local Diplomas. A regents degree doesn't mean as much when you have to water down the Regents just to increase the passing rates. There are still kids who can get 55 and pass with an IEP. Just accept that this grand experiment has been an abysmal failure, and we can go back to focusing on the kids who want to succeed.
Post a Comment