Re: What to teach (was: American students do poorly)

["Richard W. Tarara" <rtarara@saintmarys.edu>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Burgess <tburgess@jaguar1.usouthal.edu>


> > As to another note on this topic, I won't buy into the 'but everybody =
in
the
> > States takes the tests so that dillutes the results'.  We've been usin=
g
that
> > excuse too long

> If it is a valid point that still holds how can it be held "too long"?


The excuse makes some sense when looking at the difference in College
populations between the 40s/50s and the 70s/80s.  I it less effective in
discussing the decreasing skills (especially reading) seen in the 90s,
decreases seen in the student bodies of reasonably selective schools.



> > but we've always (in this century) educated everyone at the elementary
and
> > secondary level.  The median level of academic performance is going do=
wn
> I happened to browse the statistics yesterday (from DEHW statistics). In
> 1940 40% of the 25 year olds had graduated high school. This rose steadi=
ly
> until the mid seventies when about 85% of the 25 year olds finished high
> school. Enrollment in colleges quadrupled during this same time and
> leveled out (at about 40%...but I have seen this measured in =FCdifferen=
t
> ways to show large variations.) So "we've always (in this century)
> educated everyone" is not supported.

OK, my statement doesn't apply to 11th and 12th graders, but does to all
levels below.  It is at the elementary level however, where the figures o=
n
scholastic achievement are the most frightening (at least to me).  Again,
many sociological reasons, but the problems are real.

> > taken at various levels.  Passing is only at the 26% level but at many
> > elementary schools failure rates are approaching 50%.  Many reasons wh=
y
> > (some even valid) but the simple fact is that the performance IS GETTI=
NG
> > WORSE!
>
> I am not sure what "passing" means on that particular test. I know that =
the
> ACT and SAT tests with "interlocking items" to compare difficulty level
> from year to year show some decline (not very large) from the 1950's
> (assuming that one fourth of the number of students took the test
> compared to today). Interesting to note is that the largest declines
> were among the "white" subgroup starting in the 70's. Generally
> small inreases are detected in "minority" scores.

I think one needs to be _closer_ to the situation to see the problem.  Th=
e
statistics suggest the direction of the problem, but it is at the level o=
f
the individual that we see the illiterate high-school graduates, the
elementary students with such deep attitude problems that they are incapa=
ble
of learning, of intellectually handicapped students dumped into 'normal'
class rooms in the name of political correctness and left there to drown =
as
they cannot possibly keep their heads above the intellectual waters.  The
ISTEP tests in Indiana assess expected student knowledge and skills as
clearly defined by the state minimum curriculum requirments.  The 26%
passing level is a _cop-out_ to prevent requiring 2/3 of the students fro=
m
being required to take summer-school remediation classes.  I think no bet=
ter
of the renormalization of the SAT scores that will all but prevent future
historical comparisons.

> How is this for stirring the pot? Could it be that educators need the sk=
y
to
> fall or we are not likely to be funded?


Does anyone who has been teaching for 15 years or more think the
intellectual skills of students have improved or even stayed constant?  A=
re
you spending more time dealing with poor reading skills, poor math skills=
,
poor listening skills, all but non-existent analytical thinking skills, t=
han
you did in the past?  It occurred to me the other day that many of the
INTERACTIVE classroom techniques that are all the rage today are perhaps
really substitutes for what students USED to do in the past, ON THEIR OWN=
,
during study sessions.  We now formalize such, spoon feed it to students,
and use our very limited contact time to teach them basic study skills.


Didn't want to get into a RANT here, but........

Rick