[HPFGU-OTChatter] My own education rant ( Re: Reading, Writing, and Multiple Choice)

[Richelle Votaw]

bboy_mn:

> GulPlum took the words right out of my mouth. Reading this restores my
> faith in the US educational system, and of all places Louisiana. 
> 
> Sorry about the Louisiana remark, but Louisiana doesn't carry the
> stereotype of being the most sophisticated place in the US. Generally,
> and again with apologies, the stereotype of someone from Louisiana is
> an uneducated swamp dwelling moonshine making cousin marrying... ah...

Actually, that's only in Livingston Parish. :)  Seriously.  Well, except that there aren't actual swamps there.

> However, what you said makes it sound, more accurately I'm sure, like
> a very progressive state with an equally progressive, productive, and
>  effective educational system. You must have some very cooperative
> politicians in your state. 

Now that you mention it, let me jump on my government rant.  First of all, Louisiana has been for years at the bottom of the scores in testing nationwide.  (Which, might I add, uniquely corresponds to Louisiana being at the bottom in teacher pay as well.  How interesting.) Anyway, a few years ago the state politicians decided to do something about it, and developed this system in which schools are graded based on their test scores, with the largest part of the score coming from the 4th and 8th grade LEAP tests (the written response ones) and a smaller portion coming from 3rd through 7th grade IOWA test (multiple choice) and a still smaller portion coming from student and teacher attendance.  This was supposed to remain as it is for a ten year period, but they've already decided to change the test used in 3rd through 7th grade in a year or so.  But here is the problem I have with this system.  All schools are judged on the same criteria.  Let me take just my school system as an example.  The local university has a Lab school.  The students primarily consist of children of professors at the university.  They are, not surprisingly, education oriented.  Now take, for example, the school I teach at. (Which, mind you, I drive 30 minutes to get to so I don't have to live in the area.) 95% of the parents of students live on welfare.  Most do not have even a high school education, 8th grade is the average education for a parent of one of my students.  Most are in single parent families.  I give homework in first grade that their parents don't know how to do.  I was showing one of the parents a test their student failed and explaining how they did not use is/are and was/were correctly on the page.  The parent was fascinated to learn that there was a rule for using is/are and was/were.  She had me repeat it three times and was writing it down so she would remember.  I saw a quote last week that pretty much summed it up.  "Children become readers in the laps of their parents."  I would estimate that no less than half of my own students have never had a parent read to them.  Most of them have no books at home, the closest thing to reading material would be the TV Guide.  Yet the government is perfectly content to continue supporting these people without doing anything to help them better their lives and become more productive citizens and better parents.  While still comparing the scores of my students, whose parents have an 8th grade education to those in the lab school, whose parents have PHD's.  Until the parents put forth some interest in the education of these children, the teachers simply cannot work magic for the scores to grow like the government wants them to.

Okay, enough ranting for one day.

Richelle


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