<p>The following articles relate to the California exit exam, the first article is about students with special needs who are leaving the state to get diplomas because there is no alternative assessment available in Ca, and the second is about a law suit that extends the concept that students are being held accountable for material they didn't learn and that the fault of their ignorance is in the system.</p>
<p>I favor the concept of firewall assessments in education, I believe that if we had them at third grade, sixth grade and ninth we might be able to catch students who need additional help before they get overwhelmed in highschool. In my vision, students who don't make it past the firewall would not simply repeat a grade, they would have their lesson plan changed so to allow additional time in school over the next few years. For example, a student who couldn't meet the minimum standard would have a four-year program to get them through the next three grade levels or they would be put in classes that had extended school years.(i.e.. 4 years between third and starting seventh or a class with an eleven-month, extended day school year) One of the problems is that many of our most problematic students move so often that it is hard to keep them in an individualized education plan. Sometimes I think they move to get away from the plans.</p>
<p>Catching kids at the end of the process doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I know what kinds of pressure parents and principals can put on a teacher to pass a child, but even after a student fails a class, it seems that summer school passes them on for attending. Not one of the eighth grade students in our school in the past five years was held back after summer school. I wish that was good news. Playing catch up in senior year is a tough way to go.</p>
<p>my daughter who has special needs ( she is dyslexic among other things) will be required to pass the WASL to recieve her diploma
Although she has taken in in 4th and 7th gd and not come close to passing- no extra help was put into motion to help her pass it this year.( she doesn't have an IEP anymore- they frown on students with IEPS taking AP classes- but she does have a 504)
She is bright and capable of attending college- but she needs accomodations. The test does not allow the kind of accomodations she needs in school and in the work place.
I feel it is cruel to have a process where the make up is simply a chance to take the test over and over again.</p>
<p>I think if the curriculum is sound- if the student has taken the required courses to graduate- and passed with decent grades- why is a test required?
Shouldn't the curriculum be examined to insure it is sound and the quality of teaching? why is the entire burden placed on the student to perform like a trick pony?</p>
<p>I agree with the first premise: special needs kids deserve accomodations, but not sure what those should be. </p>
<p>But, the second, essentially lets schools off the hook for ensuring kids graduating from high school have a 8th grade knowledge of math (a kid could miss ALL of the algebra problems and still pass the Calif test), and a 9th grade knowledge of english. We can blame the schools and teachers (a position on which I disagree strongly), but I find it hard to beleive that folks think an EIGHTH grade math criteria is too hard for HS diploma....hmmmmm.</p>
<p>I agree that programs set in place to help kids can be meaningless- why?
Why is summer school less rigorous?
This is my button MR B
My daughter who had an IEP for 5 YEARs but who didn't make progress according to end of year tests ( even though if she wasn't making progress it should have been identified much earlier sothat her IEP could have been adjusted) anyway she didn' t make progress in math for years- which I blame on her having the same teacher- who didn' t adjust the curriculum or teaching style.
When she changed schools, she now made progress, in fact she made more than 1 year of progress in a years time- but since she is still in remedial math, she is obligated to take it after school.
Because this interferes with other classes- with sports( which is very important to her- it makes all the difference)- she is going to take math in the " reentry math program" the classes for students who are trying to get their requirements in so that they can get their diploma- but I have been told that these classes are meaningless for a student who is trying to go on, and to go to college.</p>
<p>They shouldn't be meaningless- if it is an integrated math class level two- that is what it should teach. She doesn't have a lot of choices, unless I decide to pull her out and attend private school- in which case she doesn' need to pass the WASL.
I could pay $90 an hour to enroll her in an accredited school to take the math( that would count with the state & she could stay in her high school) I could have her continue to take math after school, but she wouldn't be able to participate on the track team, go to friends houses after school, or go to tutoring which she needs for other classes, or I can have her take the meaningless math class, and pay for tutoring when she moves on and didn't learn what she needed.</p>
<p>HIgh school may be the last educational opportunity for many kids- we need to take them and it seriously.
Pushing them through isnt taking it seriously.
I agree that it sucks that the buck stops here seems to apply to high schools.
Our high schools get fewer dollars per student than middle and elementary, but have much higher expectations and more challenging students.
I think there are some good intentions between NCLB, but we can't agree on what students should know, and we are leaving the community out of the loop.</p>
<p>I think there should be some kind of alternative for special needs kids. I don't know what it should be though. </p>
<p>I don't think you have to take an exit exam to graduate from a private school in CA, is that right? I am not noticing that my kids at Catholic highschool have taken this. So, is that fair?</p>
<p>Perhaps you could give diplomas for successfully completing the course of study in high school and add some sort of distinction to the diploma for passing the exit exam.</p>
<p>It doesn't seem right to spend four years in high school, pass all the required classes and then not get a diploma of some sort, regardless of whether or not you have passed the exit exam.</p>
<p>The main effect of NCLB for my youngest (in public school in CA) seems to be more tests and teaching to the test, and teaching little bits of information so that standards can be checked off. I HATE it! I used to love my kids' elementary school, but now I am very unhappy with the way things are being taught and what is being taught. Also, now, in addition to the tests in the spring, the 2nd graders are tested before every report card (3 more tests). My 2nd grader didn't do so hot on the last test for a few reasons, I think, first that she is in 2nd grade and still learning to read and focus, second that they are introducing all sorts of concepts that are a little tricky for 2nd graders, but very easy for say, 4th and 5th graders (even 3rd graders). So they spend a lot of time on some things in 2nd grade that would just be a breeze if they waited a bit. I am not against my child being exposed to these things, but I am against her being tested and judged for not mastering them at 7 years old. And in addition, the tests themselves seem very flawed (at least at this level) and not indicative of what my child, even at 7 years old, knows and is capable of achieving.</p>
<p>In my first-hand experience as a parent of a child from an "independent school", you do not have to take an exit exam to gradaute from a private school in CA. I like your suggestion of adding a distinction to the public school diploma for passing the exit exam! Isn't there somewhere where you can suggest such new laws? ("There oughta be a law...")</p>
<p>The restrictions on elementary teachers is one of the main reasons I don't teach elementary students. Teaching to the test is a disease, now in my district my students are required to take a test a quarter, and the test is not alligned with the text book, so we were supposed to jump to page 533 during the first quarter to teach that specific standard, I refused. I have thought out my lesson plans and pacing for the year, and I resent some drop out teacher working for a testing program making it harder for my students to learn. No beef cow ever got heavier by weighing it, my farmer friends might say.</p>
<p>As for the diploma and what it represents, this is indeed a thorny question...should it reflect mastery of an eighth grade education, an effort made, or something else. I don't agree with the certificate of attendance concept that some have suggested for special needs kids.</p>
<p>Perhaps the exit exam should be made harder and optional so that employers could ask for a high school diploma with a recognition of accomplishment...</p>
<p>
[quote]
The main effect of NCLB for my youngest (in public school in CA) seems to be more tests and teaching to the test, and teaching little bits of information so that standards can be checked off. I HATE it! I used to love my kids' elementary school, but now I am very unhappy with the way things are being taught and what is being taught. Also, now, in addition to the tests in the spring, the 2nd graders are tested before every report card (3 more tests). My 2nd grader didn't do so hot on the last test for a few reasons, I think, first that she is in 2nd grade and still learning to read and focus, second that they are introducing all sorts of concepts that are a little tricky for 2nd graders, but very easy for say, 4th and 5th graders (even 3rd graders). So they spend a lot of time on some things in 2nd grade that would just be a breeze if they waited a bit. I am not against my child being exposed to these things, but I am against her being tested and judged for not mastering them at 7 years old. And in addition, the tests themselves seem very flawed (at least at this level) and not indicative of what my child, even at 7 years old, knows and is capable of achieving.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>mstee~</p>
<p>I would second this WORD FOR WORD! I, too, have a 7-year-old second grader who is having the identical experience. The assessments/report cards have become more meaningless than ever. For examle, let's say there are two problems on a page that is given an individual assessment score, and the kid misses one of those. All of a sudden, this kid is given the grade of "U" (unsatisfactory). BASED ON ALL OF <em>ONE</em> PROBLEM! I am alarmed and frustrated by these changes. I can LOOK at my child and listen to him read and/or converse for a few minutes and get a much more accurate picture of what he can really do. This assessing every three minutes has GOT to stop so that there can be a little time for teaching! ~berurah</p>
<p>IN parts of Canada the government requires provincial exams for any credit in 12th grade classes. Public or private, every kid takes the same exam which comprises about 50% of the final grade in the class. They can be taken early, for instance a French- immersion student might take the grade 12 French exam in 9th grade, etc. </p>
<p>I think it is great, there is no need for SATs to even the field between GPAs, the govt keeps track of the difference between class mark and exam score, so their is a disincentive for schools to pump up the grades on the school mark. It evens the playing field and allows comparison of students. They are graded by the exact percentage, not a letter grade, so ranking becomes less of a "game the system" issue and more about your actual score....4 years of exact percentages, not counting any PE & arts, allows little room and causes little energy to be expended on rank...your rank is what you earn, that's it.</p>
<p>The same accomodations for LD kids available on SATs & APs are available for the provincials.</p>
<p>The entire province does this and you don't read the constant stream of articles you would see in WA for the WASL and in CA for the SAT9, bemoaning people not passing. Schools are teaching to the test, but it is a year long class and it is testing the actual curriculum, so it seems to work. It's not just some random test thrown in for kids to take in April, it tests the curriculum all schools are expected to teach.</p>
<p>Another positive, no senioritis, not when those final marks are your final grades and they can result in university scholarships.</p>
<p>A student can retake the exam to raise their score, if they wish.</p>
<p>Our state has taken the additional leap of making the state assessment test- a requirement to recieve any sort of diploma</p>
<p>This is despite that the schools are funded at a lower level than most other states- despite that the test is judged to be more stringent than most other state tests and that even though fewer than half of students pass the test in many districts- movement has not been made to support the students or the schools even though we knew that to pass the test taken this year by 10th graders, will be a requirment to recieve a diploma.
I don't have any problem with requireing students to know algebra- if they taught it.
BUt they haven't been teaching algebra- they teach a combination of computation-algebra-fractions-trig-not long division- that is called integrated math- and it is easy for concepts to be glossed over and to look like the student knows more than they do, conversely, some students are bored out of their minds because the same stuff is gone over again and again.
They haven't had new math curriculum in the high school fo r20 year, it currently is new- new math- but instead of going back to algebra-geometry-advanced algebra/trig like some areas are finding successful, they are looking at spending the money on a new-new-new math program, that on the surface sounds similar to the program they are using now</p>
<p>In MA - every student MUST pass the MCAS - including all special needs students - which seems to be equivelent to an exit exam - it is taken in lower level - mid level - and high school - actually has affected curriculum - which is now appears to be taught to the test - don't pass the test - NO diploma - cannot apply/go to any MA state school of higher education - can get a certificate of completion - tho won't help you much - high achieving testers get a free tuition grant to the UMASS system - test can be retaken until passed - test results are used as indicators of school system pass/fail as well - so teachers and school systems are being held accountable now. I think NY also has exit exam - regents exam - that must be passed to get diploma - and other states as well.</p>
<p>EK: Don't you get tired of all the "new math" inventions...my Ds school did some experimental stuff in grade school, my Ds happen to be ery good at math, but we still had to teach them long division the old fashioned way at home. The "new-fangled" stuff was an interesting way to look at things differently, but if it was confusing for math-brained students, how did it even come close to working on non-math oriented people? Why not simply teach the basics the old-fashioned way and let creative math thinkers explore alternate ways of viewing math concepts!</p>
<p>It makes me sick. The kid mentioned in the article is deaf. Do they administer a reading test to blind kids? Why 8th grade math? What is magical about 8th grade math? Why not 3rd grade math? Why not calculus? My son is so bad at math I think he has dyscalculia - never had that formal diagnosis, but so what? It basically means you can't do math! Why don't they just skip school entirely and give tests instead? Give the test to kids in the 6th grade. If they pass the test, send them to college. It's just incomprehensible to me that people can be that stupid, and yet, there they are. </p>
<p>The only explanation that makes any sense to me is that California would like to reduce the high cost of spending on special education (It is VERY expensive, an incredibly large percent of the education budget) by encouraging special ed kids to leave the state. Seems to be working. Now, if they can only get them to leave a little earlier, before the final semester of their senior yer.</p>
<p>I have been on budget commitees and we have site based management- the money doesn't actually have to go to SPED- the principal theorizes that as the SPED students are in teh school, they are getting the money spent on them!
Of course because the money can't be tracked is why the district can't get any extra money from the state or federal for SPED.
My daughter brought extra federal money with her for her IEP- however her class consisted of watching kids diagram sentences- when she was in honors english and needed math help.
This was the special ed that was so expensive- hardly relevant to her.
The media also noticed that districts don't count students who drop out-* unless they notify the district they are going to drop out*
pretty handy eh?
Middle school students who drop out before they get to high school are also not counted as drop outs-but our high school completion rate is still going down, even when we use this funny math to track students.
I wonder what having a standards based test- that is geared towards students who are excellent writers and against students who need accomodations required for graduation going to do to the dropout rate</p>
<p>I hired a theoretical high school graduate to work in my store this fall ... and discovered after a week that he could not read. Or at least that he could not read well enough to tell me <em>which</em> pet supplies company was parked in the driveway (the name of the company was in bright blue letters four feet tall) or well enough to realize that a note on something saying "empty, please clean" was an instruction to the person who was supposed to clean things (him).</p>
<p>Silly me, I assumed that someone who was a high school graduate could actually read.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It doesn't seem right to spend four years in high school, pass all the required classes and then not get a diploma of some sort, regardless of whether or not you have passed the exit exam.</p>
</blockquote>
<br>
<p>I agree with the sentiment, but I think mandatory testing is a reaction to teachers who award passing grades to students who have failed to achieve adequate mastery of the material. In plain words, in some schools grades from some teachers may be bogus.</p>
<p>I don't like the negative effects of high-stakes testing - notably, teaching to the test instead of teaching the material in an interesting manner.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, mandatory testing gives administrators some tools to identify and crack down on teachers who award passing grades to failing students (or give high letter grades to mediocre students).</p>
<p>This can happen at the honors level, too. I've seen students receive As in AP classes and score 1 or 2 on the AP test. When this happens there's clearly a disconnect between grading and actual achievement.</p>
<p>It would be nice if there were consistent standards for HS grading, but there aren't - the only way to assess actual learning levels is by standardized testing.</p>
<p>cnp
I know the feeling. Been to court with spec ed graduate who could not spell "c-a-t". Her IQ was low globally, and her job endangered children. After a near-mishap, she's on disability (couldn't be trained to do cash register, etc)
Most often, I've seen kids who are fine in every subject but math. If they have an IEP, in my state they can still pass the exit exam. In state colleges, they will need to take special math classes. I much prefer a meaningful degree with special needs taken into effect.</p>
<p>Roger in my current school and my previous school in a different state, faculty voted to require successful completion of core classes for promotion to the next grade. In spite of this, students continue to be promoted through the magic of summer school which seems to reward attendance.</p>
<p>Cnpp - you are right, a high school graduate should be able to read a newspaper and write a letter, count change. All the things that most of the posters on CC could do after 5th grade seem like reasonable requirements (if not too easy.) We also need to understand how to assess (and teach) people who have special challenges. If you were visually impaired those three tasks might be a bit tricky, n'est pas?</p>
<p>in colorado- they are using the test to identify classrooms that are successful- rather than putting all the burden on the student to pass the test.
In our schools- the test scores don't even come out until after school is out- so say the 7th grade failed- that isn't going to be associated with the teacher- because those kids who failed are now in 8th grade.
The burden will be on those kids to catch up before they take the test again in 10th grade, not on the 6th or 7th grade classroom to teach what they need to know.</p>
<p>Not only are the( WASL) scores not available until school is out- the test is not available. Well you can request it- make a special appt and I think you have to go down to the capitol where you are shown the test- for a limited amount of time- while you are observed by two staff members and sign something saying you won't discuss it- you can't even make notes or copies.
So here there is a test- which is very high stakes- but it can't be used to identify what needs work. My daughter has 2 scores- one for math and reading- but they aren't broken down into anything meaningful- just that she didn't come close to passing.
She did pass the science portion in 8th grade, but that won't be used for anything till after she is out of high school.</p>
<p>I think we need more nationally certified teachers. The teachers taht are certified in our district and others, are some of the best teachers I have seen- we need to make certification and teacher training meaningful, and make them understand they are hurting children by passing them when they don't do the work, it doesn't hurt the teacher- but that child is not stupid believe me. When kids are passed through without doing the work, they get the idea that they ARE stupid, and that the teacher neither can teach them or even expects them to be able to learn.
How tragic.</p>
<p>CIM (Certificate of Initial Mastery), CAM (certificate of advanced mastery), and PASS (Proficience-based Admissions Standards Systems) in Oregon 2005.</p>
<p>Supposedly the progams (early 90's) was championed by business (supposedly) who wanted to have a standard to measure ability. In Nov 2005, the programs were killed because business didn't care about the cerificates as a measure of ability. </p>
<p>In the 2000's the emphasis has been on NCLB. I think all the programs are a function of Politics and keeping Education ph'd's fed.</p>