Posted on 05/17/2007 7:13:29 AM PDT by devane617
FORT WORTH -- Three of every five eighth-graders in the Fort Worth school district failed the science portion of last month's Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, down from last year's 53 percent passing rate and well behind the state average of 70 percent, according to preliminary scores released Wednesday.
Tenth-graders did not fare much better: Only 41 percent passed the science exam. And 617 seniors in the district -- 16 percent, up from 10 percent last year -- won't graduate on time because they haven't passed all portions of the exit-level TAKS exam.
However, in a bit of good news for the district, students in almost all grades did well on the reading portion of the exam and made some gains in math. In particular, reading scores for fifth-graders increased from 72 percent passing to 82 percent.
Superintendent Melody Johnson said that school officials expected some scores to be lower as the district retools its philosophy from one focused on drilling and practicing for the TAKS to a push for academic rigor.
Meanwhile, the state's accountability standards are rising, meaning the passing standard is higher this year, Johnson said Wednesday.
"I feel very confident that we are doing all the right things," she said.
Still, district officials were surprised by the eighth- and 10th-grade science scores, which Johnson described as an "anomaly."
In a meeting with the Star-Telegram Editorial Board, Johnson said the scores are troubling and could reflect a mismatch between what is being taught in Fort Worth schools and what is on the state exams.
The results could also indicate that students lack the mastery of processes or theories needed to answer science questions.
Students often develop these skills from rigorous lab work instead of memorization, officials said.
"It's not that teachers across the board stopped teaching," Johnson said of the science scores.
This is the second year that eighth-graders take the science test.
The scores won't count toward this year's accountability rating, which the state will announce later in summer, said Sara Arispe, director of assessment and accountability for the Fort Worth school district.
The eighth-grade science test will start counting toward the ratings next year.
Despite the challenges in science and math, Johnson said, the district made significant gains in reading in almost all grades. Johnson said she credits some of these gains to the district's literacy efforts.
Math scores for grades 7, 8, 9 and 11 went up. Tenth-grade math scores went down slightly, from 51 percent passing to 48 percent.
Johnson said the state's increased standards are also why more seniors -- 16 percent -- won't graduate on time this year.
Fort Worth's numbers mirror a state trend: The number of seniors who won't graduate this year because they failed at least one exit-level TAKS exam has reached an all-time high -- more than 40,000 students, or about 16 percent of those who took the tests as juniors last year.
Students can retake the TAKS in upcoming weeks.
Fort Worth seniors who pass by the end of summer can take part in an August graduation ceremony.
Have you looked at the test? Thinking is required. Once they are in High School, graphing calculators are required.
We should be teaching kids how to solve math problems with the help of tools. Otherwise, we might as well teach them how to fashion blades from flint.
They should have full access to modern computers, and be given situations to solve.
The gov’t school system is broken. John Taylor Gatto has written about this extensively. I would encourage Freepers to download his podcasts and/or read his lectures. His insight and lessons learned from 30 years of teaching in Manhattan public schools is a warning and a condemnation of what we are doing to our children with a Prussian-based system of schooling.
John Taylor Gatto references:
- Speech transcripts
http://www.preservenet.com/theory/Gatto.html
- “The Underground History of American Education” – final chapter summary http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/chapters/18s.htm
- Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Taylor_Gatto
- Download MP3 audio lectures:
http://www.altruists.org/downloads/by_subject/others/education/
The TAKS test is based on the TEKS, which is the curriculum for that grade level.
Teaching any of the TEKS could be said to be teaching to the test.
4 years of math in HS means taking pre-Cal or Cal. There is a course called Math Modeling, but it can not be taken after Alg II.
‘Dice’ became ‘number cubes’ all over the country, not just Texas. It started over /about20 years ago.
Chance cube. (props to anyone that gets the ref)
By the way, I teach a high school geography class and routinely make statements like "evolution is only a theory". When questioned about how the world began, if it wasn't the Big Bang, I just say shrug my shoulders and simply say, "God created it". My students smile and nod. I've yet to hear from the administration.
Ugh, anti-intellectualism is the last thing we need.
‘God did it’ fits in Iran, not here.
Three problems:
1. The teacher's union.
2. The education establishment.
3. The Colleges of Education.
The entire structure is rotted thru and failing.
All three need complete overhaul in any order.
I am fortunate to teach in a small rural district wher my grandchildren go to school. The principal took us to lunch the other day (several groups of teachers on several days as a thank you for a good year). He said a blessing before the meal.
That must be channel 5.
I like it much better when they confine their "news" to reports that coffee is good (or depending on the day of the week, bad) for you .
Sorry, but it’s not the same God.
But it’s the same lame non-answer.
Why are they making them take that much math????
There are a lot of people that just wouldn’t be able to understand calc or pre-calc.
There are plenty of degrees that just don’t require a lot of math.
I have to agree, but I tell my students that it is the reasoning and thinking skills that they need to learn for life needs.
Doesn’t matter. There are scientific (string and quantum therories) that need to be addressed. God has been constantly used as a crutch for people that don’t want to know that we don’t live on after life.
Basically, it’s all ego. Science can and will explain everything. It may not be as simple as ‘there shall be light’. But it works better.
The only thing we have to give up is an ego-centric afterlife. Why’s that so important anyway? When we die, we die..
They will take four years and end in Algebra II or Geometry. Which everybody should understand, if only for long enough to pass the test.
Making an analogy between math and English. Algebra is like being able to write a coherent paragraph. Can't do it, no HS diploma. Make the diploma mean something.
On a different note, if a student passes the state mandated test but fails the course, they are not promoted. If a student passes the test and the course but does not have mandated attendance, the student fails or must jump through hoops to please the bureaucracy. (that happened to our daughter.)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.