Colorado Schools, More Funding, Say What?
Reading the Rocky Mountain rag this morning. I came across the speakout page. Usally worth a laugh or two, even three. An editorial stood out. Thisone about the CSAP testing and its inability to prove anything except that the schools need more funding across the board. Wait let me phrase that in the terms Judy Solano used:
"Testing more does not change the results. Equal opportunities, fair funding and effective resources affect learning."
Say what? Fair funding, equal opportunity, affect learning for who?
Lets verify as to how she comes to this conclusion:
"Graduation rates have dipped from 82 percent in 2002 to 74 percent in 2006. For minorities, the numbers are even more distressing. Graduation rates among Hispanics dropped 9 percent, to 56.6 percent. For African- Americans, the graduation rate plunged from 74 percent to 63 percent in 2006.
In just four years, the achievement gap between whites and minorities has widened.
CSAP scores have changed very little from year to year. Last year’s test results indicate 70 percent of students who scored unsatisfactorily three years ago remain unsatisfactory today. High school scores can be described as unchanged.
Forty percent of fifth- graders who scored “advanced” on CSAPs in third grade scored “proficient” this year. Are our smart third graders being “dumbed down” as they become fifth graders?"
So far she has qualified that CSAP does not work by stateing the overall results by ethnic grounds. CSAP is not a failure. It is a success. CSAP is not here to grade the students but the teachers and the system. The biggest misunderstood, or propagandised by teacher union activists.
Overall the tests are illuminating. They definately show the problems with the system. The system is broken and it is not the students, or the ethnic makeup of the students. The problem is with the system and the teachers union. A union that wants to social engineer and not teach. Keep their tenure and take it easy till retirement.
Judy Solano goes on to spew the economic leftists line of equality without stateing any supporting facts. Here is what she says:
"One of the strongest correlations in this data-driven-assessment world we have created is that the higher the population of low-income students, the lower the CSAP scores. Eight of 10 students participating in the free or reduced-price lunch program are enrolled in the bottom 10 percent of schools in terms of performance. The higher the family income, the higher the test scores. Only five of 100 students participating in free or reduced-priced lunch program are enrolled in the top 10 percent of schools."
She claims here that it is an economic problem that prevents students from improving and getting better scores. Trying to give credence to her need of money for the system with an equal distribution of said funds. As if this will solve the p[roblem.
What is not mentioned is her support for the hispanic community, her support for unions and specifically the teachers union. No mention of social problems linked to bilingual education failures. Less authority in the class room for teachers with problem students. The systems failure to deal with gang members and drugs in the school.
If she really wanted to voice a few solutions she may want to consider the teaching curriculum. The current social engineering bull crap that passes in this state does the children no favors. By rewriting history, injecting politics into history , not social studies (something few teacherstoday understand the differance in), and setting standards that teach not dumb down the student populance. Then maybe her word might be considered intelligent.
As of now it shows her bias, racial tendancies and left leaning views.
"Testing more does not change the results. Equal opportunities, fair funding and effective resources affect learning."
Say what? Fair funding, equal opportunity, affect learning for who?
Lets verify as to how she comes to this conclusion:
"Graduation rates have dipped from 82 percent in 2002 to 74 percent in 2006. For minorities, the numbers are even more distressing. Graduation rates among Hispanics dropped 9 percent, to 56.6 percent. For African- Americans, the graduation rate plunged from 74 percent to 63 percent in 2006.
In just four years, the achievement gap between whites and minorities has widened.
CSAP scores have changed very little from year to year. Last year’s test results indicate 70 percent of students who scored unsatisfactorily three years ago remain unsatisfactory today. High school scores can be described as unchanged.
Forty percent of fifth- graders who scored “advanced” on CSAPs in third grade scored “proficient” this year. Are our smart third graders being “dumbed down” as they become fifth graders?"
So far she has qualified that CSAP does not work by stateing the overall results by ethnic grounds. CSAP is not a failure. It is a success. CSAP is not here to grade the students but the teachers and the system. The biggest misunderstood, or propagandised by teacher union activists.
Overall the tests are illuminating. They definately show the problems with the system. The system is broken and it is not the students, or the ethnic makeup of the students. The problem is with the system and the teachers union. A union that wants to social engineer and not teach. Keep their tenure and take it easy till retirement.
Judy Solano goes on to spew the economic leftists line of equality without stateing any supporting facts. Here is what she says:
"One of the strongest correlations in this data-driven-assessment world we have created is that the higher the population of low-income students, the lower the CSAP scores. Eight of 10 students participating in the free or reduced-price lunch program are enrolled in the bottom 10 percent of schools in terms of performance. The higher the family income, the higher the test scores. Only five of 100 students participating in free or reduced-priced lunch program are enrolled in the top 10 percent of schools."
She claims here that it is an economic problem that prevents students from improving and getting better scores. Trying to give credence to her need of money for the system with an equal distribution of said funds. As if this will solve the p[roblem.
What is not mentioned is her support for the hispanic community, her support for unions and specifically the teachers union. No mention of social problems linked to bilingual education failures. Less authority in the class room for teachers with problem students. The systems failure to deal with gang members and drugs in the school.
If she really wanted to voice a few solutions she may want to consider the teaching curriculum. The current social engineering bull crap that passes in this state does the children no favors. By rewriting history, injecting politics into history , not social studies (something few teacherstoday understand the differance in), and setting standards that teach not dumb down the student populance. Then maybe her word might be considered intelligent.
As of now it shows her bias, racial tendancies and left leaning views.
