Tuesday, April 27, 2010

School Daze

Infinonymous emphasizes the political and financial dysfunction that is InsolvenCity, but a City Paper article (Chris Young) adds a new level of horror to Pittsburgh's predicament with this illustration of the percentages of 11th graders identified as "proficient" (satisfactory) or "advanced" in science at Pittsburgh high schools:

Two percent? That's not achievement, that's a rounding error (actually, for a Westinghouse student, it appears 23 percent could constitute a rounding error).

School superintendent Mark Roosevelt appears to recognize the problem. "The scores are weak," he said.

More than the scores is weak, Mr. Roosevelt, even if one acknowledges testing issues and other factors. Two percent isn't a grading curve; it's a flatline. The reading scores are better, but words fail. These students need help. Now.

UPDATE: Questions concerning provenance suggest these curious detention slips should be considered entertainment rather than information.

1 comment:

little_minx said...

Did teacher Adam Hilliker perhaps also insist that the Sun revolved around the Earth? Such authoritarianism worked well for the Catholic Church for quite a while.