|
|
|
|
I.
|
Standardized tests that measure mathematics and verbal literacy will be discussed. |
|
A. |
State primary and secondary proficiency exams like the
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS tests). |
|
B. |
State teacher certification exams |
| II. |
The mathematics and verbal literacy of an individual is determined by their mathematics
and verbal intelligence, family socioeconomic characteristics, and the efforts of said individual, their parents, and society.
|
|
A. |
Satisfactory completion of standardized tests, passing for some and achieving a certain
score for others,
requires a certain level of mathematics and verbal intelligence. |
| |
1) |
People below this designed level of intelligence will not earn a satisfactory test result. |
|
|
2) |
No attempt is made to measure achievement related to the
other kinds of intelligence so important to
Education in a World of Multiple Intelligence. |
|
B. |
1Kevin J. Clancy, chairman and CEO of Copernicus, a global marketing consulting research firm “ ...developed a statistical model to predict
MCAS scores..." at different schools based on these socioeconomic characteristics “... percentage of families that receive aid to dependent children; have two parents; are below the poverty line; are white; and hold a college bachelor’s degree or higher. What we learned is that how well children perform on MCAS scores has almost
everything to do with parental socioeconomic backgrounds and less to do with teachers, curricula, or what children learned in the classroom.” |
|
C. |
Massachusetts student and teacher proficiency
exams will be explored. |
|
|
1) |
A majority of the fourth, eighth, and twelfth grade students in Massachusetts can
not pass the recently instituted student state proficiency exams (MCAS). This is
also true for prospective teachers taking the recently instituted state
teacher proficiency exam. Low mathematics and verbal intelligence, called critical
thinking skills by educators, is the primary reason people are failing these tests. |
|
|
2) |
Why have test results changed little over the introductory period. |
|
|
|
a) |
In the short run, 500 years plus or
minus, student intelligence is fixed and attempts
to increase the percent passing the test will fail unless the intelligence required
to pass the test is lowered or the passing score is lowered. |
|
|
|
b) |
Socioeconomic conditions changed little during the period. |
|
|
|
c) |
Teacher test scores are low because we began losing many of our potentially good teachers when career
opportunities for women expanded into law, medicine, business, and politics.
As a result, high school seniors reporting that they planned to major in
education have been at the bottom of the SAT/ACT testing percentiles for
many years. Teacher test scores will continue low until we convince our most intelligent people to be teachers. |
| III. |
Fourth and eighth grade tests should be designed for the middle 60%, not the top 20%. |
|
A. |
Many problem are caused by setting goals too high. |
|
|
1) |
Some students get discouraged, stop learning, and fail to learn basic material. |
|
|
2) |
Failure alters behavior in a negative fashion. |
|
|
3) |
Teachers are being blamed because their students aren't substantially above
average and can't pass the test. Good teachers are leaving teaching rather than face
pressure from parents who are convinced their children must be substantially above
average. It is happening in the second grade. |
|
B. |
The high level of math/verbal literacy being sought by educators can be
attained by less than 20% of the population. Fortunately, only about 20% of the jobs require this intelligence level.
|
|
|
1) |
When a high level of math/verbal education is needed, people will acquire said
literacy. For example, students who struggle with algebra somehow find a way to
pass the math portion of a real estate exam. |
|
|
2) |
The summer of 1998 issue of
Occupational Outlook Quarterly published by the U. S. Department of Labor states that between 1996 and 2006, the percentage of jobs requiring a college degree will increase to only 23.1% from 20.8% (page 7) and that about 250,000 college graduates per year (18%) will not find a college level job (page 3). Also reported for 1996 was the fact that 5,600,000 college graduates (17%) worked at jobs that did not require a college degree (page 5).
|
|
|
| IV. |
Students would choose one of many Graduation Requirements |
|
A. |
Earn at least 70% on all parts of a twelfth grade standardized test. |
|
B. |
Earn an average of 70% on all parts of a twelfth grade standardized tests. |
|
|
1) |
These students would be specialized in one discipline. |
|
|
2) |
Students and teacher should be counseled that scores of 60%, 60% and 90% are
better than scores of 70%, 70%, 70%. If you don't believe this, the next time you
need an operation, choose the doctor with a 70% in Bedside Manners and a 70% in
Operating Procedures and leave me the doctor with a 40% in Bedside Manners and
a 100% in Operating Procedures |
|
|
3) |
Under this method, the 70% average could be waived for someone with one score
at least 90% in one of the tests. |
|
C. |
Earn at least a 80% on all parts of the eighth grade standardized tests. |
|
D. |
Twelfth grade tests should be replaced by a list of life skills acquired by a student. |
|
|
1) |
High schools should not be thought of as prep schools for college but as prep
schools for life. |
|
. |
|
a) |
Skills important for economic success, based upon all kinds of intelligence,
and chosen by the student, would be taught in our high schools. |
|
|
|
b) |
School guidance departments would provide students and parents with the skill
level requirements and the expected return associated with their careers
choices. |
|
|
2) |
Graduation would happen when a student feels their measured skills, which
would be listed on their high school transcript, were adequate. |
|
|
3) |
Money saved by students deciding to graduate before completing grade 12 could be
used in many ways. |
|
|
|
a) |
Some of the money would be available to students one year after withdrawal
for continuing their education. |
|
|
|
b) |
Some of the money could be used to foster intensive preschool programs in
communities demonstrating extensive educational need. |
| V. |
Ideally, our teachers would be superior in relation to all the human characteristics required
to educate our children. Since this is not economically possible, the kind and level of intelligence
required of teachers should depend on the grade they teach and their subject discipline. |
|
A. |
For many subjects and at the lower grades, interpersonal literacy tends to be more
important than math/verbal literacy. |
|
|
1) |
But, teaching students to read is most important and should be taught by our most
intelligent teachers. If you can't read, you can't learn! |
|
|
|
a) |
The November 22, 2000 issue of the
Boston Globe reported that "At the Otis School, for example, fourth-grade
failure rates between 1998 and 2000 have declined from 43 percent to 17
percent in English, from 71 to 22 percent in math, and from 55 to 16 percent
in science. |
|
|
|
|
1. |
Ninety-three percent of Otis students speak English
as a second language. |
|
|
|
|
2. |
Otis was built in 1905 and the library looks like
"a converted basement boiler room". |
|
|
|
|
3. |
"Principal Thomas J. Connelly credits an
expensive, highly scripted reading program for MCAS gains,
saying it paved the way for success in all subjects. 'Every teacher in the
school is a reading teacher,' Connelly said," |
|
|
|
b) |
Please send other examples concerning
the importance of reading skills to Walter
Antoniotti at
textbooksfree.org/ |
|
|
2) |
Enhancing writing and speaking skills is second. People who can't communicate
will find career advancement difficult. |
|
|
3) |
Enhancing basic arithmetic is third. Many jobs require basic computational skills. |
|
B. |
In all other disciplines, teachers should have enough math/verbal and subject literacy
to adequately teach a subject at a particular grade level. Someone teaching science in
the fourth grade doesn't need the math literacy of someone teaching eleventh grade chemistry.
|
|
|
1) |
Prospective teachers would not fail the certification exam, they would qualify for
certain subjects to be taught at certain grade levels. |
|
|
2) |
Let the market determine who gets hired and how much they get paid! |
|
|
|
a) |
First, second, and third grade reading teachers with a bachelors degree might
make more than an eleventh grade history teacher with a master's degree but less
than a twelfth grade calculus/physics teacher who directs the senior play. |
|
|
|
b) |
Let the tests begin, if they must! |
