Posted on 10/20/2011 6:11:25 PM PDT by george76
About half of Illinois public high school students flunked state exams in reading, math and science this year, the worst performance in the history of the 11th-grade Prairie State Achievement Examination, statewide test results show.
The record-low results, scheduled to be released Thursday, come after Illinois closed loopholes that kept academically weak juniors from taking the exams, a practice revealed in a 2009 Tribune analysis. Some local school officials attributed their declines in part to the larger testing pool that included less-prepared students.
At the same time, grade schools posted the highest passing rate in a decade this year — 82 percent across all Illinois Standards Achievement Tests given in third through eighth grades — revealing a disconnect between elementary and high school performance that has not gone unnoticed by educators.
"Basically, the ISAT is too easy and the PSAE is too hard," said Steve Cordogan, director of research and evaluation for Township High School District 214, where half of schools saw drops in Prairie State passing rates. The two-day Prairie State examination includes the rigorous ACT college entrance test.
Passing state exams is important not only to gauge how well students are doing, but also to judge schools and districts under the federal No Child Left Behind law.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
Be assured that the K12 system most of us grew up under is not the same K12 system today. Dumbing down is the norm. Hell, I teach two freshman core level college/univ. classes and the majority can not write a cohesive paragraph....=.=
It sounds like they need more money to improve the sitchiation.
Just say “Thank you Arne Duncan, Illinois”. The reality of socialist indoctrination is showing results!
I concur, we need to spend more money that will solve the problem.
If students can’t pass the darn test, then change the test to make it easier or just change the answers for them. The teachers and the teachers unions are doing the best they can with your average students. Give the teachers more money, build new schools, lower the standards and the Food Stamp President will heap praise and medals upon you.
I hear if they take out the immigrants and inner cities, our kids are doing as well as any other country on Earth.
What does that tell you??
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