Only 17% of 8th Graders Can Read at Grade Level Overseen by Obama Education Secretary-Designee

cnsnews.com ^ | December 17 ,2008 | Matt Cover

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

I would like to know how 6% more students can be above grade level in writing than in reading.

That's easy! Plagiarism.

[hermgem]

Didn't see Chicago's Mayor Daley shed any tears when faced with losing Duncan.
Duncan's announcement that no child left behind standards need to be tweaked, made more flexible to allow for more passing grades and that funding needs to be increased.
And this funding once to the full satisfaction of Ted Kennedy, still isn't enough.

[neocon1984]

As a former Chicagoan and CPS student, I agree that the Magnet schools helped retain some middle class kids in the city, whereas their families commonly moved to the burbs when the kids came of school age. This has the practical of improving average scores.

However, Duncan (a nice guy with limited competence) has done absolutely nothing to improve education where it’s really needed.

[Mac from Cleveland]

“By 2007, only 17 percent of Chicago eighth graders were at or above grade level in reading”.....

Obama says:”What’s wrong with that?- 17 per cent-that’s 3 out of 4, isn’t it”?

/sarc

[NewHampshireDuo]

Obviously “at grade level” needs to be redefined. Things change, you know.

[fieldmarshaldj]

And since the Chicago schools at 8th grade are dumbed-down to Kindergarten level, that’s really scary.

[dervish]

Heck why doesn’t he just name Bill Ayers.

[Clemenza]

There are more folks speaking Ebonics than Spanish at Chicago schools, but your point is well taken.

[Clintonfatigued]

I guess Obama wants to do for America’s classrooms what his local public schools have done for Chicago.

[metmom]

ANOTHER REASON TO HOMESCHOOL

This ping list is for the “other” articles of interest to homeschoolers about education and public school. This can occasionally be a fairly high volume list. The main Homeschool Ping List handles the homeschool-specific articles. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping list. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from either list, or both.

[metmom]

This ping list is for articles of interest to homeschoolers. DaveLoneRanger has asked me to take over the management of this list. I hold both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping List. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added or removed from either list, or both.

[metmom]

Meanwhile, and I’ll pull this stat out of my lower extremities, 83% of homeschoolers are reading ABOVE grade level.

I'll bet you're too low on that number.

[wintertime]

the Chicago Public School system has about a 55 percent high school graduation rate.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

55% graduation rate? When only 17% of 8th graders read at grade level? How can that be?

Given the 8th grade literacy and numeracy scores then the Chicago Marxist schools are graduating a lot of kids who can't read their diploma.

[wintertime]

That no one stopped the nationalization of edcuation in the US is what has lead the charge towards socialis
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Please read about the history of compulsory government education in the U.S. The very purpose of government schools from their inception in the mid-19th century was to produce compliant sheeple. The founders of our modern government schools were socialists.

[DYngbld]

I think Michael Farris would have been a good choice, however I doubt he would have taken the job.

[Savagemom]

>>I don’t know...I started experimenting with my kids about 18 years ago (homeschooling) and it all turned out very well. :-)

Let’s hope that it remains an option. I can’t imagine that the Obama administration and the NEA won’t do all they can to end, or highly regulate, home education.

It used to be just about my kids’ education, but more and more, this is becoming an expression of individual liberty.

[Labyrinthos]

In 2007, only 17 percent of eighth graders tested at or above grade level in reading in Chicago Public Schools – the school system administered by Arne Duncan since 2001.

This is a completely meaningless statistic without a benchmark to compare eight grade test scores prior to 2001 and each year during his tenure. If, for example, only 10% of eight graders were reading at grade level when he took over in 2001, then a person could argue that scores improved 70% during his administration (assuming the test hasn't been dumbed down and/or the grades re-centered). On the other hand, if 17% or more of the eight grades students were testing at grade level when he took over the school system in 2001, then I think by any standard, this guy sucks.

[kabar]

Par for the course. Move them along up and out of the system.

[DYngbld]

Move them along up and out of the system.

And into the system.

[kabar]

Into the welfare and penal systems.