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California tests scores among worst in U.S.

October 30, 2015

grad-school-testsCalifornia K-12 students have some of the worst math and reading skills in the United States, according to new national test results. [Mercury News]

The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) tests the math and reading abilities of a sampling of fourth and eighth graders. It is the only standardized test administered across the country. The 2015 NAEP results were released Wednesday.

Results show the average fourth grade math score in California was worse than that of 44 other states. In the average math score rankings, California placed just one point higher on a zero-to-500 scale than New Mexico, Alabama and Washington, D.C.

California eight graders scored worse in math than their peers in 35 other states. California’s average eight grade math score was higher than that of five states and Washington, D.C. and about the same as nine states.

Only 27 to 29 percent of California students rated as proficient in both math and reading.

Even when factoring in the predominance of English learners and poor children, California fairs among the worst in the country, according to an analysis released Monday by the Urban Institute.

In 2013, California finished tied for 39th in fourth grade reading, 44th in eighth grade reading, 46th in eighth grade math and last in fourth grade math, according to Urban Institute rankings. California’s 2015 scores are statistically similar to the 2013 ones.

California is spending $53 billion this fiscal year on education.

State Department of Education spokesman Bill Ainsworth said the NAEP tests are not completely aligned with the Common Core State Standards, so they are not are not a good measure of California students’ progress.


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I think CCN is running the wrong image for this piece. They should use this one that I made…


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Put the questions in Spanish and Ebonics and see what happens.


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I the last 100 years we have taken nature out of the equation, we have stopped the evolution of the human race. The more intelligent, more successful people tend to have fewer children (if any) and the less intelligent, more children. In fact, those in charge have made it possible, even insured that the lowest rung of humanity will swell their numbers. What did everyone expect would happen?


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Otherwise known as the opening credits/scene from Idiocracy – a great movie, ahead of its time.


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CORE MATH…

Teachers don’t really know it…to teach it…

And most kids don’t GET IT…


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Common Core: another “feel good” idea that actually does more harm than good.


Why do we let the dumbest people run education? Obviously it doesn’t take much to get a Ph.D. in Education, as most are not worth ½-a-shit.


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Until parents take responsibility for the behavior of their school age offspring, this will not change.


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The teachers I know say that there are four basic problems.


1. There are way too many unnecessary administrators – the education system is ridiculously top-heavy, which is a waste of money.

2. Many of the administrators never did any actual work in a classroom and thus are totally unqualified to decide how the teachers should teach. However, that’s exactly what they do.

3. Many parents do not control their kids or expect them to study and get good grades, so the kids won’t listen in class, won’t study, and won’t do their homework. Then, when the kids fail, the parents blame the teachers

4. Teachers don’t get paid well and so not a lot of our “best and brightest” go into that line of work. You have to be really dedicated to be willing to go through what they go through for so little money.


Despite all that, we have some really great teachers but, unfortunately, we also have some who really shouldn’t be in that line of work. There have even been complaints by some of them that the qualifying tests they must take are just too hard, and thus unfair.


Have you ever looked at some of the practice tests for the exams the teachers have to pass? Most of my fourth grade class could have passed them with no trouble at all.


Maybe if we got rid of the useless administrators and spent more money hiring better quality teachers and bringing those who are substandard up to speed, things would get a little better.


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I’ve heard from many teachers all over the country, the heavy-handed administration is the #1 reason why retention is a HUGE problem in education (vs. what it used to be). Many “new” teachers simply do not last, and the old ones can’t wait to cash out and leave as soon as they hit their retirement eligibility.


We’ve screwed ourselves in most other areas of our lives, why not this one?


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Has nothing to do with educational pedagogy, teachers, administrators or Prop. 13. Has everything to do with California’s demographic situation. Remember Prop. 187? A judge overturned the will of the voters and this is the result.


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California isn’t the only state with major demographic shift. Most all the sunbelt states have seen massive hispanic growth rates. That random small town in Alabama that also scored near the bottom has a Taquería somewhere on main st. believe it or not.


In California’s case, I am sure the SF bay area taken by itself would score in the top of the nation. The busting rural areas on the border would be near the bottom. The larger the state, the less you can draw from stats. It’s like saying the average wage in the US is $35k. Doesn’t tell you much and you can’t really base action on it.


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California’s demographic change is unrivaled. Alabama has seen Hispanic growth. But California has witnessed large scale white flight to neighboring Western states for some time. Meanwhile, illegal Hispanic immigration has surged for decades. Most of these immigrants possess low educational levels and teaching their children, who often do not speak English, has proven to be a burden and a challenge to California’s education system. Again, voters could see the writing on the wall way back in 1994 and tried to do something with Prop. 187 but were stymied by the judiciary.


Of course, the SF Bay Area would score high. Look at its demographics. Many wealthy areas that are primarily white and Asian.


The statistics are valid and speak to California’s demographic makeup and educational decline.


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The situation will not improve until teachers and administrators are held responsible for such poor results. As long as they are insulated and protected by laws and union contracts nothing will change. Children in poor countries around the world manage to achieve superior results with only a small fraction of the resources that the taxpayers provide. A ever increasing amount of our education spending is going to pay retirement benefits for teachers. Less and less in actually used to educate the children.


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If th tst ws wrttn lik ths, thy wood gt bttr scors


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