Mastery? I Think Not!
Yet another reason I choose to homeschool...
My husband is a high school math teacher. Every year he administers the NC End of Course exams to his students. The state requires the teachers to remove or cover all information that may be hanging on the walls of the classroom. They also require test instructions be read verbatim from a script. The teachers must walk around the classroom during the tests (which no longer has a time limit) throughout the entire time students are testing. Basically, they require the teachers to jump through hoops to ensure the tests are an accurate measure of how much the students learned in a given subject as well as to ensure uniformity in the testing environment. Sounds good, doesn't it? One might even think the state sets high standards for the tests.
In previous years the EOC exam simply counted for 25% of a student's final grade. This year, it still counts as 25% of the final grade with the added requirement that 9th graders attain level 3, equivalent to a score of 80% on a 100 point scale (according to the state of NC) on the test to receive credit for the class. A student who has passing grades in class but fails to achieve level 3 on the EOC is retested. If he fails the second test he attends two weeks of remediation and tests a third time. If the student fails the third test the teacher has the option of presenting a portfolio of the students work to a school committee which then determines whether or not to recommend the student receive credit for the class. Therefore, the kid who spent the whole semester not getting caught while cheating off his buddy gets 3 tries at the test and likely ends up getting credit for the course. One must wonder, "What did he learn?"
The scale runs from 118 to 181. A score of 118 would indicate the student got 1 question correct. A score of 181 means the student got all 64 questions correct. According to the test reports a scale score of 148 is equivalent to a score of 80% on a 100 pt. scale. That translates to the student having gotten 31 out of 64 questions correct. For a student to be considered on grade level (level 3 or higher) he must get less than half of the questions correct! The funny thing is if the scale was converted to a 100 pt. score one would expect the student who got 31 questions correct to receive a 48%. Of course, one could argue that the questions are weighted. But, that isn't the case. Here's the proof...if the questions were weighted the scale would indicate it. Look at the numbers and do the math. The questions aren't weighted. Furthermore, the state describes level 3 as follows: "Students performing at this level consistently demonstrate mastery of this subject matter and skills and are well prepared for the next grade level (EOG) or for a more advanced level in this subject area (EOC)."
Think about that for a moment. NC considers a student who gets less than half the questions correct on the Algebra I EOC test as demonstrating mastery. WTF? That's just plain unacceptable.
How long will it take us, if we continue diluting the quality of education in this country, before we truly become a nation of idiots?
My husband is a high school math teacher. Every year he administers the NC End of Course exams to his students. The state requires the teachers to remove or cover all information that may be hanging on the walls of the classroom. They also require test instructions be read verbatim from a script. The teachers must walk around the classroom during the tests (which no longer has a time limit) throughout the entire time students are testing. Basically, they require the teachers to jump through hoops to ensure the tests are an accurate measure of how much the students learned in a given subject as well as to ensure uniformity in the testing environment. Sounds good, doesn't it? One might even think the state sets high standards for the tests.
In previous years the EOC exam simply counted for 25% of a student's final grade. This year, it still counts as 25% of the final grade with the added requirement that 9th graders attain level 3, equivalent to a score of 80% on a 100 point scale (according to the state of NC) on the test to receive credit for the class. A student who has passing grades in class but fails to achieve level 3 on the EOC is retested. If he fails the second test he attends two weeks of remediation and tests a third time. If the student fails the third test the teacher has the option of presenting a portfolio of the students work to a school committee which then determines whether or not to recommend the student receive credit for the class. Therefore, the kid who spent the whole semester not getting caught while cheating off his buddy gets 3 tries at the test and likely ends up getting credit for the course. One must wonder, "What did he learn?"
The scale runs from 118 to 181. A score of 118 would indicate the student got 1 question correct. A score of 181 means the student got all 64 questions correct. According to the test reports a scale score of 148 is equivalent to a score of 80% on a 100 pt. scale. That translates to the student having gotten 31 out of 64 questions correct. For a student to be considered on grade level (level 3 or higher) he must get less than half of the questions correct! The funny thing is if the scale was converted to a 100 pt. score one would expect the student who got 31 questions correct to receive a 48%. Of course, one could argue that the questions are weighted. But, that isn't the case. Here's the proof...if the questions were weighted the scale would indicate it. Look at the numbers and do the math. The questions aren't weighted. Furthermore, the state describes level 3 as follows: "Students performing at this level consistently demonstrate mastery of this subject matter and skills and are well prepared for the next grade level (EOG) or for a more advanced level in this subject area (EOC)."
Think about that for a moment. NC considers a student who gets less than half the questions correct on the Algebra I EOC test as demonstrating mastery. WTF? That's just plain unacceptable.
How long will it take us, if we continue diluting the quality of education in this country, before we truly become a nation of idiots?
Labels: homeschooling, NC EOC, public education
posted by Cindy at 1:50 PM
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