Question of the day
Friday, Mar 10, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
First, watch this Rod Blagojevich TV ad entitled “Standards.” (wmv file)
Notice how it begins: “For the first time in 21 years the governor raised graduation standards in math, science and writing.” And this line: “Over $2 billion for our schools, a record funding increase, and higher standards.”
Now, read this Daily Herald story.
Passing the state math test just got easier for Illinois eighth-graders.
The Illinois State Board of Education Thursday unanimously agreed to lower the passing grade for math exams given to all eighth-graders this spring, a test that nearly half of students last year had trouble with.
The change - described by educators as fair and critics as cutting corners - sparked debate about how Illinois complies with federal demands that pump up the pressure on public schools every year.
The new passing score brings the standard by which eighth-graders are judged in line with that used to grade students in other grades, state education officials said.
“What we addressed was an unfair cut (passing) score that was not showing what kids were truly doing to meet the standard,” said Becky McCabe, who heads assessment testing for the state board. […]
“They’re letting their own system down. They should think they could do better,” said Jeff Mays, president of the Illinois Business RoundTable.
The governor’s TV ad refers only to graduation standards, and he’s right to be proud of that significant achievement.
However, do you think it’s fair game for anyone to suggest that he shouldn’t be bragging about increased standards when some have been lowered? Explain.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 8:03 am:
I guess I’m a little confused, because I’m not really sure what the test is for.
Is this an assessment test to see how the kid is doing or the school is doing, or is this one of those “if you don’t pass this you’ll be held back” tests?
If it’s an assessment test for meeting federal guidelines, it kind of makes sense for Illinois to have the same standards as other states. Just like the SAT and ACT is the same everywhere. After all, Illinois would only be hurt if national comparisons showed our kids were failing but the test they were taking was tougher.
If it’s a standard for graduating 8th grade, the State Board of Education screwed up, and since the Governor insisted he have control over the Board, it would be his bad.
But as for whether the ad is fair, if the standards for graduating high school were raised, does it really matter what they did to get out of junior high? Most folks are worried about getting our kids into the best colleges and the best jobs, not having the best 9th graders.
- Darrell Democrat - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 8:13 am:
If you followed instructions and read the story, you will see this is for the ISAT tests required by the No Child Left Behind law. Individual schools retain jurisdiction over who passes the eighth grade.
It’s amusing the guy who clearly is proud of his low academic credentials is pushing his record as an educational reformer.
In the ad I find it unfair when it says “now the gov. is fighting for a $1000 for every college student.” Isn’t the plan only for those who get a B average?
How about reforming John Wyma?
- regular viewer - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 8:14 am:
It’s typical of this governor to confuse a press release with a policy. He has a tendency to believe his own PR, which only sets him up for the counter attack. This kind of stunt may help him past a novice like EE, but given a real opponent, he’s in trouble. I wonder if the GOP will put up a real opponent?
- whoops - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 9:01 am:
Thank god…after reading Capitol Fax I was worried the State Board of Elections had taken over the responsibility of educating our youth. Whew!
- Rich Miller - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 9:04 am:
LOL. It’s too close to the election. My fingers were apparently on auto-pilot.
- Lovie's Leather - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 9:13 am:
Let me take a minute to put my bleeding-heart hat on…. okay… It strikes me that we have a governor who obviously thinks of himself as the God of education. He points out a positive and neglects, even forgets the negative. Recently, Black Hawk College (a state community college) has been forced to go to the voters in the upcoming election to ask for a significant property tax increase (15.5 cents / $100 value) due to lack of funding. The really funny thing is… Gov Educationovich will put countless new people into Illinois welfare system, and yet will not properly fund the institutions which lift people out of poverty and get them off of welfare. It is hypocritical and socialist.
- Reddbyrd - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 9:39 am:
Rich —the Reddbyrd Rapid Response team suggests the next time you use 264 words to set the QOTD that you rethink the question. Way too long
Better questions:
1. Is this the first client for whom Wyma actually admits making calls?
2. Should students in schools that get empty boxes instead of test books( Robein Elementary in East Peoria for one) get 100s ?
3. Does RonnieG nosedive out of control ’cause he signed off on the testing company after GRod gave him the o.k. wink?
4. Can AccordinanGal take advantage?
5. Will ChopperJim send Mark Shelden an ice cream treat since he is skiping out on lunch?a
- VanillaMan - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 10:36 am:
We have all seen this governor brag and blame, so seeing him take credit for something he has really no control over isn’t going to persuade anyone. Voters know this guy. They don’t like him. They are waiting for someone else from the Republicans, so they can decide. Blagojevich can buy all the airtime he wants, amplify his bragging at every step, and hope voters give him a reprieve November. As governor, he has worked very hard to insult everyone he could, grap every buck he could, and scam in every way he could. He earned his defeat.
- donchicago48 - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 10:40 am:
There is no question that raising graduation standards is a commendable action. However, it is equally important that more children receive a quality education, not fewer children.
Before we start jumping for joy and celebrating Governor Blagojevich’s latest press conference claims, one might want to read THE 2004 BROWN CENTER REPORT ON AMERICAN EDUCATION available at http://www.brookings.edu/gs/brown/bc_report/2004/2004report.htm
n.b the discussion in this report under the heading “Implications of the Study” on page 14-15 and “Discussion and Recommendations” on pages 15-17:
First among the recommendations was this:
“1. Raise the level of arithmetic on NAEP
problem solving items. Currently, the
arithmetic skills needed for the average
problem solving item on the eighth grade
NAEP are taught in the third grade. Raise
the level by decreasing the proportion of
whole number items and increasing
the proportion of items using fractions,
decimals, and percentages.”
I’m not sure how one could reconcile the actions of the Illinois State Board of Education that lower standards with the realities revealed by the Brookings and other studies.
- Schiznitz - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 10:46 am:
Blago seems to be the King of Puffery. He doesn’t seem to mind lying, this is only a partial lie. Nowhere near his worst.
He never seems to get out of campaign mode. He can’t switch to actual govern mode.
- Eisendrath 2006 - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 10:57 am:
The following was released by Edwin Eisendrath several weeks ago.
February 23rd, 2006
Eisendrath blasts Illinois State Board of Education for lowering standards
In Springfield today the Illinois State Board of Education voted to lower the standards on 8th grade math tests for students throughout Illinois.
“Embracing mediocrity is not the way to improve schools,†said Eisendrath. “Today’s decision to lower standards so the state can report higher pass rates should be denounced by everyone who cares about preparing our children to compete in the world.â€
Eisendrath went further and linked this latest decision to a pattern of failures by Governor Blagojevich on education issues.
“The Governor has no vision for education and every child in Illinois suffers as a result. He took charge of the Illinois State Board of Education and said he would make it accountable,†said Eisendrath. “Now Chicago Public Schools’ CEO Arne Duncan is proposing major program cuts. School districts across the state are facing financial ruin. Illinois is last in the nation in school funding. We lead in inequality between districts. What’s the Blagojevich Administration’s response? Lower standards so they can report higher pass rates. This is not accountability. It’s cooking the books. We deserve better.â€
Eisendrath, a former public school teacher, has been campaigning to reform school financing and to improve public education throughout the state by adding accountability measures, improving teacher training, and reforming the Illinois State Board of Education.
- donchicago48 - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 11:25 am:
The Brookings study I cited above shows that the NAEP test score gains recorded in recent years are often due more to lowered test standards than improved student achievement.
Other education studies have consistently shown that school prodictivity has eroded significantly during the past few decades. A major trend has been the huge growth in non-classroom administrative spending. The clear conclusion is that the relationship between education spending and student achievement is not as strong as the big spenders whould suggest.
- Bill - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 11:32 am:
The governor supported legislation that raised graduation requirements for high school mandating that students take more courses in the core areas of math, science. etc..That is what is touted in the ad…..not some score change that brings Il in line with the rest of the country. It has been a real chore cleaning up the mess at ISBE left by Gidwitz & Co.
But once again don’t let the facts ruin your good time.
- Nearly Normal - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 12:42 pm:
Yellow Dog–As a retired high school teacher, I can tell you that your ninth grader had better had the course work in the lower grades and be ready for high school! With all the standards and materials that have to be covered, there isn’t a lot of time to go back and cover what was not done in the lower grades.
My last school had seven feeder elementary districts–four publics, two Catholic and one Bible school. Some of these school had small numbers in their classes–a few had 12-14 students in a class. Our high school classes averaged about 24-26 students and may now be higher this year. Try to give that number of students one-on-one help.
You probably can’t imagine the range of quality and experiences that these elementary students had. Our high school district held articulation meetings for years with the feeders to go over curriculum and work together to help these students. Some of elementaries sent teachers some did not. Some started teaching algebra in the eight grade (for those students deemed ready for it) and used the freshman text. This was a big help to those students who could handle Algebra and wanted four years of mathematics because they want to be in college programs that require higher math courses as a prerequisite.
This changing of test scores is nothing new. Texas does this all the time so they can brag about how many pass their tests.
And, guess where the Sec of Ed, Margaret Spallings is from? Yep, Texas.
Consider, too, that these tests are taken in early March. Some of the material covered in the exams may come later in the school year if the teacher follows the logical progression in the textbook. There is ususally a lot of teaching towards the test done in February in order for these students to be ready for the test.
Teachers are reminding the students to take these tests seriously. Some do not and write anything they want to get it done. I could easily see a group of jr highers deciding to just blow this off completely. Now, as a proctor you can write up these incidents but I don’t know if the scores are adjusted.
- ONE M.C.M.A.D - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 12:55 pm:
My response is the same as Jeff Mays,“They’re letting their own system down. They should think they could do better,â€.
If education became that easy across the state where the state lowered other requirments for students, this would not only cheat the system (for more financial gain)but also cheat the students out of their education.
What should happen is tutoring should be aggressinve to help the students reach the potentials that others in the past have had to reach to in order to pass and move forward.
Why allow this generation to cheat their way through the processes making it easier for them, making education less trivial that in the past and cheating the students of a high level education.
Has the Governor commented on this one yet?
- Sound Reasoning - Friday, Mar 10, 06 @ 1:35 pm:
How can a response such as “does it really matter what they did to get out of junior high? Most folks are worried about getting our kids into the best colleges and the best jobs, not having the best 9th graders†really be taken seriously? Anyone should easily be able to figure out that if you do not understand the basics that you learn at the lower grade levels you will either not be able to cope with the more complex instruction of high schools and colleges or you will be severely behind your peers when attending those higher grade levels. All grades levels are important as they build upon one another throughout ones lifetime.
The fact that Blago takes credit for higher standards in his commercials while the very group that he controls lowers those standards should not come as a surprise to anyone. Remember Blago and his own people have said in the past that any statements he makes while he’s running for office can not be considered the truth. These are documented words from their own mouths. Plus lets all remember how Blago arrived at that 2 billion dollar education funding figure. The math he used to arrive at that number wouldn’t even be allowed at the grade school level and the figure has already been shown to be false yet he still quotes it whenever he sees fit.