Florida blacks eye boycott over graduation exam

Washington Times ^ | May 17, 2003 | Steve Miller

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The NAACP has clearly become the heaviest mill stone around the necks of America's blacks...

One mill stone learning from the king of mill stones.

NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at a hotel in Havana, Cuba on Nov. 13, 2002. The NAACP had their lawsuit against gun manufacturers rejected by a jury on Wednesday, May 14. (AP Photo/Cristobal Herrera)

[Freee-dame]

bump

[Cincinatus' Wife]

An educated black society scares race-baiting blacks. Where would they go and what would they do if racism disappeared? They have power if things are out of wack, but they lose it when people see through their lies.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

***An educated black society scares race-baiting blacks.***

Correction: .....scares race-baiting LIBERALS (all colors).

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

100% Correct.

[AmericanVictory]

Can't they all be employed at the New York Times? Truth and accuracy are concepts of dead white guys, after all.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

More proof that Jeb Bush cares more about the minority students in Florida than do the "so-called" civil rights leaders.

FCAT Scores Among Blacks, Hispanics Up Considerably (Where's the Bias?)
click10.com ^ | 5-16-03 | AP

[hgro]

Lets all get out and protest the lack of intelligence in a part of the Florida community.

These failures will be voting in the next general election and another firestorm of protest will erupt due to the defeat of their dimo candidates.

[cyborg]

It is ironic that the naaLcp fought for the right of black students to go to the University of Alabama,etc. NOW they fight for students to get out of school, get bad grades, be jugded by their color (affirmative action)etc.

[Glenn]

These failures will be voting in the next general election

Not bloody likely. If they aren't motivated to pass a simple test, they aren't motivated to meander into a voting booth.

[mtbopfuyn]

So, per the article about half of the students in question are black and hispanic. For lack of any factual data, let's say that breaks down to 25% are black, 25% are hispanic, but a whopping 50% are white whinies who can't make a 40. How's that being racially bias against blacks and hispanics? Then it goes on to somehow relate this to the sugar and citrus industry? What, those kids can't even get a job picking oranges without a passing grade of 40 on the test??? That article just makes no sense.

In Texas it's called the TAKS now. It's given to almost every grade from 3-11 to pass to the next grade. Pass the test, pass to the next grade. Fail the test even if you're an A student, fail the year. The 12th grade TAKS is for the diploma. They only teach to the test and nothing else. Say it with me, "Funding". All year, it's practice for the TAKS, practice for the TAKS, and more practice for the TAKS. The actual tests (3rd - 11th) are taken 6 weeks before the end of school so guess what's done the last 6 wks of school ------ nothing. Absolutely N-O-T-H-I-N-G!!! Why bother showing up for class? The teachers and kids all know nothing they do will "count" toward anything (cough, education, cough, knowlege, cough, why Johnny can't read) so they goof off and watch videos like the oh so very educational "Dude, Where's My Car". And school taxes keep going up...

[ndafill]

A lesson in building a Democratic voter base.

[ladylib]

Here is an article about a successful inner city school which offers a classical education to its students. This happens to be a Christian school, but classical education can be secular in nature.

http://www.immanuelpeoria.org/plh/classical/cemls.html

[profmike23]

I was in Texas public schools from 1989 to 2000, back when it was called the TAAS and don't remember spending much time teaching to the test.

I do remember we had all day to take each section. Meaning on Monday we took reading, and you had as much time as you wanted, from morning to the end of school. The same for math and writing.

I was usually finished in an hour or less, I am just a fast test-taker, but some kids took all day to write a one or two page essay.

The material wasn't too diffcult, and in my day you tested from 3rd to 10th grade and the 10th grade test was the one you could retake multiple times to rgaduate. I do remember one media story about kids not graduating and how unfair the test was.

All through my public school years, teachers have shown movies in various classes for no reason at all (Toy Story in math class, etc.)

[river rat]

An ignorant electorate votes Democrat...

Look at ALL the precincts where "voting problems" occured...

For Democrat politicians or "leaders" to serve their base....America must be destroyed...

Semper Fi

[RipSawyer]

"The students being supported by the activists have been given six chances to pass the test with a passing test score of at least 40 percent, but have failed at least one element."

Good grief, since when has 40 percent become a passing score on anything?

[gueroloco]

I suppose Texans could be proud of somewhat higher standards than Florida (i.e., higher than 40% needed to pass), but I can't share their optimism. The TASS test has been replaced by the supposedly more demanding TAKS test. Third graders who took the TAKS reading test this spring had to get 20 correct out of 36, a "lofty" 56% . The media hyped the "tough new test" that could force some kids to repeat third grade, interviewing nervous students/parents and featuring school rallies encouraging the kids to do their best. Of course, the schools had been "teaching to the test" all year. Also, state education officials acknowledged tweaking (dumbing down) the minimum passing scores for fear that too many children would have failed the test otherwise. They piously assert that the "bar will be raised" in the future. This is true- by 2005, children will need a stratospheric 67% (24 of 36) to pass. The most disgusting thing, however, was the local El Paso paper's coverage of the results. They reported the 90% pass rate with much fanfare, using lines like "kids beat TAKS"and "better than expected results" while letting disingenuous educators spout self congratulatory pablum about their district's performances- as if scoring a 56% were some kind of achievement. I might add that three retests are allowed, and that a kid can still be socially promoted by a panel of educators/parents even if he fails every retest. That's neither "improved accountability" nor "higher standards". It's the same old fraud being foisted on parents, in a slightly different manner. They develop a more demanding test but downwardly adjust the scores so the illusion of a good education is preserved. Kinda like my property taxes this year- the entities courageously "held the line" on tax rates as they jacked up my home's appraised value by $10K. Nothing but a game. Color me cynical about the future of the public schools.

[MississippiMan]

The students being supported by the activists have been given six chances to pass the test with a passing test score of at least 40 percent, but have failed at least one element.

That's a high bar?!? Six chances to score a frigging FORTY on a TENTH GRADE level of test is too high a bar for SENIORS? Sounds to me like it was constructed to be lax to the max.

Sure hope Jeb stays the course. At some point, someone MUST show unflinching courage to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

MM

[blam]

"The reactions of the parents explain the grades of the students."

Yup. We had the same problem here in Mobile County, Alabama. The board of education relented by letting everyone go through the graduation ceremonies and those who did not qualify to graduate received a "certificate of attendance" so that the parents could take pictures of their "failed student" in the graduation ceremonies. This process is to be allowed for two more years. Sick! It's all about how you look, not what was achieved.