More than two-thirds of the Charleston County high school students who flunked the state English language arts exit exam entered high school unable to read better than a fourth-grader.
Students’ inability to read likely prevented them from understanding the test, much less answering its content-related questions. And it may have prevented some from earning their high school diploma because they must pass the exam to graduate.
School Superintendent Nancy McGinley said she doesn’t want to see this happen again, and she said that’s why the district is directing its time, energy and money to improving students reading and writing.
“It reaffirms that we have to have a sense of urgency ”¦ to keep reading progress happening because once a student stalls in that area, they are doomed to be a high school dropout or close to it,” she said.
yet what do the public school bureaucrats do about this? try to regulate kids’ behavior outside of school: http://wcbstv.com/local/sexting.nyc.sexting.2.1760507.html
A frightening consequence of this trend is its implication for voting. The lower the level of education, the easier it is to manipulate voters. A study several years ago in CA found that the average explanation of statewide ballot propositions required the equivalent of a master’s in English. That suggests most voters are voting out of ignorance. (Recall the video of a voter who thought it was great Obama chose Palin for VP.) Sadly, lower education increases politicians’ successfull use of promises of benefits to lure votes.
Just need to do more of the old mantra of bigger school budgets, higher pay and more benefits for teachers, smaller classroom concentrations and an expansion of the Head Start and No Child Left Behind programs. After all, the academia eggheads, teacher’s unions and way too many political hacks assure us if we only do more of the same it just has to work — eventually.
Oh, Dilbert, you are missing the point. Think how much [b][i]worse[/b][/i] it would be without the bigger school budgets, higher pay and more benefits for teachers, smaller classroom concentrations and an expansion of the Head Start and No Child Left Behind programs. Why, it would be so bad that no one could read at all. Think of the children! It’s all for the kids. Those poor teachers and school administrators sacrifice sooooo much for the kids, and all you care about is money. I bet that if you had your way, kids would go hungry and the sky would be full of pollution. /sarc
Seriously, I could not agree with you more, #3. We home school rather than let our children fall prey to these educated numbskulls.
Riddle me this Batman…how is it that a literacy volunteer with a high school diploma and no special training can teach a person to read in about 2 – 3 months tutoring a few hours per week, while the “educators” that have Master’s Degrees cannot manage the task after 13 years with these kids, 6 hours per day and about 180 days per year? How is it that we had about 90% or greater literacy back when we had one room school houses with wood stoves and outhouses? How is it that the literacy rate, math proficiency, science scores, history knowledge, etc. ALL declined after the Department of Education came on the scene in 1979? The US Dept. of Ed. spends $68.6 billion a year…and we have higher illiteracy rates than most 3rd world nations.
We need to seriously revamp our education system.
Dept. of Ed. needs to be abolished or at least have their budget cut to $10 million for an education advisor and staff. another one of Jimmy Carter’s unfortunate legacies….
If I had the chance to do it over, I would have home-schooled my daughters. I didn’t think I could do it then but know better now. So now our daughter home-schools her 6 children. They are readers, writers, thinkers, and citizens. They are currently touring the US to learn more about their country, their history, their ancestory.
If I had the chance to do it over, I would have home-schooled my daughters. I didn’t think I could do it then but know better now. So now our daughter home-schools her 6 children. They are readers, writers, thinkers, and citizens. They are currently touring the US to learn more about their country, their history, their ancestry.
In the same state, South Carolina, my daughter passed the HS exit exam in 10th grade, but still had to go for 2 more years to get her diploma. The governmental notion that one size fits all is bogus. Once again, we have been sold a bill of goods by an overbearing federal government. And Dilbert–in all endeavors expect government and Microsoft Word, doing the same thing in exactly the same way and expecting a different result is called “insanity”.
Brother Keller you are, indeed, keeeeereckt! And the only entity that can put the wreck back on the track is We the People. We the People need to instill a bone chilling fear of unemployment in the hearts and minds of every politician in this land. It’s been said politicians and diapers both need to be changed frequently. And for the same reason. Very true saying, IMO.
You’re assuming that teachers had 13 years to teach them to read. There’s no mention of how many of them recently came from other countries and don’t speak English. At least try to aim after you fire, if not before.
With great disappointment, I’ve seen far too many native bred and born failed examples of 13 years of the tender care of the public education system to give more than passing glance to the slim exception offered above. Normally, those immigrants who come in the front door head the class and are far less likely to have negative education issues. I’m sure the persons the commenter mentions elected (or had elected for them) the back door to our country’s largess. Yet another reason to pay close attention to our borders. Mr. Obama [i]nota bene[/i].
Hookt on Fonnix werkt fer me !
#9 In Charleston County, SC, 6.4% of the population have a language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, as of 2000. (Oddly, only 3.6% were foreign born, so assimilation seems to be a real problem. Perhaps all the bilingual stuff isn’t helping.)
Anyway, there were 2.42 persons per household in Charleston County, and at least one person per household is an adult. That leaves a maximum of 1.42 persons per household that could attend school. That means that a maximum of 58.6% of the 6.4% of the population that have a language other than English spoken at home could possibly be attending any school. That would make the maximum percent of kids in school that have English as a second language somewhere in the proximity of 3.75%.
The article states that: “More than two-thirds of the Charleston County high school students who flunked the state English language arts exit exam entered high school unable to read better than a fourth-grader.” That means that greater than 66% read at a 4th grade level. 66% – 3.75% = 62.25% so at least 62.25% of the students that have English as their primary language that are in High School in Charleston County READ AT OR BELOW A 4th GRADE LEVEL.
Maximum effective range of an excuse is 0.0 meters no matter how well you aim it.
Source: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/45/45019.html
So, take aim yourself…or as Jesus would say, “Have a look-see at that big ol’ log in your own eye before you try taking the little speck out of my eye.”