17 Out Of 40

Last month they were ecstatic in Georgia because 90% of the third graders had passed the reading test and were gonna be able to go on to the fourth grade. Since Georgia ranks 50th in SAT scores this was finally some good news, at least to the Georgia educational establishment. I wrote about it here. I was not very impressed. I didn't think that only nine out of ten students passing the reading test was sumpin' to crow about. We should be able to do better.

After writing that post, I got mail from many of my readers who sent me articles from their states with the same type of results. The 10% failure isssue seemed to be pretty common across the country. Now I find out that it was worse than I thought according to this article in Wednesday's Atlanta Urinal and Constipation.

Georgia third-graders needed to answer correctly fewer than half the questions on the state's reading test to be promoted to fourth grade, educators disclosed Tuesday.

The "cut score" — the number of correct responses needed to pass — was 17 of 40 questions, or 42.5 percent.

Huh? WTF? 17 out of 40? 42.5%? That's a passing grade? And still one child out of ten failed the test? What kind of bullshit is that?

Such a cut score is not unusually low for a standardized curriculum test, which measures how well students know the material covered in the classroom. While classroom tests require 70 percent for passing, a cut score between 40 percent and 60 percent is typical on standardized tests.

Yeah but scoring less that 50% is considered passing? Even on a standardized test I think that's bullshit.

The state declined Tuesday to make immediately available information that would show how difficult, or easy, the questions on the third-grade reading test were. Officials said they would provide that data later this week.

Yeah I want to see that. I'll see if my cats can get better than 42.5 fucking percent.

After repeated requests for the information from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the state school board voted Tuesday to release the cut scores. Ashe said the state's initial refusal to release the information had raised questions about the test, which was used for the first time to determine whether students in Georgia got promoted.

Yeah. If I had been the state school board I sure wouldn't want to admit that 42.5% was a passing grade. I also wouldn't want to admit that the schools were so bad that one out of ten students couldn't even get 17 out of 40 questions right.

So how is the cut score determined?

In July 2002, groups of teachers gathered to set cut scores. The teachers took the test and then evaluated each question, estimating how many children would likely get it right. Their responses were used to set cut scores, which varied depending on the test. In fifth-grade social studies, students needed to answer one-third of the 60 questions correctly. Fourth-grade math required 63 percent correct answers.

Whoa! Back up! In fifth grade social studies answering one third of the questions is considered passing? No wonder our population thinks we live in a democracy rather than a constitutional republic. The teachers ain't teaching, the students ain't learning, and the state school board is fixing the test results. Here we see gummint schools and the teachers unions in action. No performance and no accountability. What a disgrace!

How about other states?

Georgia officials attempted to survey the policy of all 50 states and Washington, D.C., on making scores public. Of the 26 states that responded, 14 released cut scores to varying degrees, and 12 kept the cut scores a secret. Texas, often cited as a model for Georgia, makes cut scores public.

And ....

This year, Texas third-graders needed to answer 23 of 36 questions correctly — 64 percent — to be promoted.

64% compared to 42.5%.

Tuesday's vote by the school board authorized the release only of the cut scores for Georgia's curriculum tests, which are given in grades 1 through 8. A school board committee will consider at a meeting July 7 whether to release cut scores for End of Course Tests, given in high school, and the Georgia High School Graduation Test.

I hope they're higher than 42.5% but I'm not holding out much hope.

And John Fonda Kerry just pandered to the National Education Association (Motto: We take education out of the schools) and said no way would he support vouchers.

Most of the kids who passed fifth grade social studies did not have the slightest idea what he was talking about.

Posted by denny at June 30, 2004 08:02 PM