So, we're at 46th instead of 49th in SAT scores, and I'm supposed to throw a party. Test scores in the math and verbal sections actually dropped three points, and Sonny's proud. I have a Governor who thinks that a decline in SAT scores is something to celebrate. I have a Governor who apparently aspires to be 46th in the nation. Somebody pinch me. Wake me up. This has to be a nightmare. It gets worse. Perdue didn't fix the test, but he "fixed" who takes the test. Keep reading.
Sonny's dirty little secret is that the % of students taking the test declined from 75% to 70%, largely because some students (presumably those who tended not to do so well on the test) are no longer required to take it. Now there's a political solution to an education problem: if you don't like the test scores, just change who's taking the test. In some communities the drop in test-takers was dramatic. For example, only 15 students in Twiggs County and 30 students in Wilkinson County took the test. That's right, to meet the needs of politicians who don't want to face their own failure, some students don't even have the opportunity to fail: they're not even in the game anymore.
Sonny Perdue and his Team have repeatedly demonstrated their disdain for public education. He brazenly cut billions from education during a term when he knew that he had to face re-election. Sure, with a surplus in the bank, he has tossed education a bone in an election year, but friend of public schools? I think not!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Perdue's Dirty Little Secret
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2 comments:
Amazing isn't it? People have been saying that Perdue hasn't done enough harm to cause him to lose. I'm not sure that's true. His record on education alone is reason enough to send him back to the farm.
In the past a lot of GA students who had not taken the college prep curriculum signed up the the SAT and for the ACT. They still can if they want to. Schools can't restrict who takes these college entrance tests. Typically students who have not taken the advanced classes do very poorly on the SAT. Perhaps they are being counseled in other directions these days. A student who has not taken the right courses for college entrance is wasting money by taking the SAT. Even if he or she finds a college to attend, the chances of college completion without adequate high school preparation is minuscule.
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