NYT: Young Students Post Solid Gains in Federal Tests

[DeepModem Mom]

Young Students Post Solid Gains in Federal Tests
By SAM DILLON
Published: July 15, 2005


WASHINGTON, July 14 - America's elementary school students made solid gains in both reading and mathematics in the first years of this decade, while middle school students made less progress and older teenagers hardly any, according to federal test results released on Thursday.

The results, considered the best measure of the nation's long-term education trends, show that 9-year-old minority students made the most gains. In particular, young black students significantly narrowed the longtime gap between their math and reading scores and those of higher-achieving white students, who also made strong gains.

Older minority teenagers, however, scored about as far behind whites as in previous decades, and scores for all groups pointed to a deepening crisis in the nation's high schools....

***

Bush administration officials credited the president's signature education law, No Child Left Behind....But groups that have criticized the law, including both national teachers unions, noted that it had only been in effect a year or so when the test was administered. They said that state efforts to increase testing, bolster teacher training and reduce class sizes, as well as an increase in early childhood and kindergarten programs should also be credited.

President Bush celebrated the results Thursday before a largely black audience in Indianapolis, arguing that the federal law's emphasis on standardized testing should be extended to the upper grades....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/15/education/15educ.html?hp&ex=1121400000&en=af5fd465749c6891&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[Turbineguy]

1. Don't you know?

Programs by Republican Administrations give immediate results. Some even bear fruit before they start!

You only have to be dumb enough to believe it. It's what they mean by faith-based.

[Spinzonner]

2. Is this the same administration that manipulated the results

about the number of terrorist events ?

Totally credible

[fasttense]

3. It only proves that the teachers are getting better at

teaching to the tests. I'm not blaming the teachers. I mean if my career depended on grades from a test I would teach to it also. Even at a subconscious level you are going to focus on items in the tests over items excluded from the tests. Is this real knowledge? Will these same kids continue to show an improvement as they advance in grade level? That is the true test of real knowledge.

In addition weren't several school administrators caught rigging the test numbers in Texas? Perhaps school administrators nation wide have gotten savvy.

[bemildred]

4. Translation: "It's easier to manipulate the results in the early years".

[goforit]

5. After those pharmaceuticles stopped putting mercury in vaccines since

2003, our children just may see less attention deficit,
obsessive compulsive disorder and autism.

So......it is only natural for their grades to go up.