California decided to develop and implement the CHSEE, the California High School Exit Exam. Classes have been taking the test since 2004, but weren’t required to pass it. However, the first class that will be required to pass the CHSEE in order to get their diploma is the class of 2006.
Today, it is reported that educators are asking for that requirement to be postponed. They are concerned that too many students will fail it. In fact, it is projected that 100,000 seniors will fail. Why are districts so worried? They are worried about what will happen to these diplomaless kids on the job market. I kid you not.
Having worked in the testing business and for a teacher’s union, I know that these types of exit exams are basic skills exams. 100,000 students can’t handle basic skills, and it’s the fact that they won’t have a diploma that worries these “educators”! Spare me.
At a certain point, people just have to fail- period. If the education system has failed these students, that is one thing. But having taught in public schools, I can tell you that a lot of the time, it is the kids that fail to try. There are millions of resources, many opportunities, and many programs to help these kids. They have taken this test for 2 years. I think they get up to 3 chances to pass it. If they can’t pass it, then they don’t get a diploma- period. If you keep handing out diplomas to people who don’t merit them, then the diploma is meaningless. It isn’t worth much now as it is. These students will simply have to study and take a GED. I hope the state superintendent holds firm. And I hope educators will wake up and see what the real concern should be.
Friday, December 16, 2005
No Diploma for You!
Posted by USWest at 9:23 AM
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8 comments:
I agree 100% with USWest. I am sure the CHSEE is a very easy basic skills exam, and the real concern should be having students who can pass it. Those who can't pass shouldn't be handed a diploma anyway. Then a diploma might begin to mean something. As RBR and I know, from teaching undergraduates at prestigious institutions in CA, even the top 10% of high school students have appallingly bad educations. Most can barely spell, cannot write, and have no grammar skills to speak of.
// posted by LTG
Yeah, and that is just their English. Now check out their math skills! (I shouldn't talk. Math wasn't my strong suit!)
// posted by USWest
I agree with USWest and LTG. (Although LTG may be a wee bit harsh when he writes that most of the top 10% of high school students, "can barely spell, cannot write, and have no grammar skills...")
When I was graduate student at UCLA, I was a TA for 7 full years (including summer sessions) and an academic counselor for 1 year. I was also the TA coordinator for my department for a few years. And I taught interdisciplinary courses outside of my department as well. As the time went on, I saw more and more that people who could not pass were sometimes handed a diploma anyhow. (Or given a C and pushed along to the next class.) Many professors were increasingly unhappy with this.
The failure of California high schools has forced a lot of remedial work into the university curricula... and along with it, growing like mold, we find more and more some of the same "remedial attitudes" toward education in the CA university administrations as in CA high school administrations. I hope the CHSEE will help prevent colleges from going the way of high schools by relieving the pressure.
The time to flunk these kids is when they are in middle school or even younger. By the time they get to high school it's too late to do it efficiently.
// posted by Raised By Republicans
NY Times has an article today saying that, "the average American college graduate's literacy in English declined significantly over the past decade," according to the
The National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
The test was administered in 1992 and then again in 2003. The percentage scoring at the highest of the four levels, Proficient, ("able to read lengthy, complex English texts and draw complicated inferences") declined from 40% to 31%. There are also now 3% (~800,000 students) who scored at the 'Below Basic' level, meaning they could not understand short, commonplace text.
Fail them in high school, fail them in Middle school, whatever. Just fail them. For me this is about a bigger issue. It's this idea that no one should be allowed to fail or suffer. Look, some people will fail no matter what is done for them. We have to learn to live with causalities. But we don't. We go on making excuses, molly coddling people, and rewarding effort over results. This is why liberals get labeled as bleeding hearts.
When I was working for the teachers' union, I had to interview state superintendents. I remember one conversation with the then superintendent from Georgia. She had pushed through a plan whereby students failing state tests would not be allowed to play school sports period. She told me that she had never had so many complaints from parents. These people were more worried that their kids wouldn't be playing sports than the reason why. She was holding firm and getting attention.
Some teacher friends tell me that diplomas are worthless as it is. Then in the very next breath, they tell me that at least if kids have the diploma, they can go work at the car wash. If they don't have that, then they can't even go work at the car wash. They will end up on welfare. What kind of circular logic is that? You can have 15 diplomas, but if you can't read or write, what's the point?
Enough of this touchy feely, Dr. Phil crap, I say. I want all the pop psychology in schools gone. I want social work returned to the social workers so that schools can get down to the ugly business of educating.
Strangelove's comment is dead on. I can tell you that I suspect one of the reasons for our intelligence failures is that those providing the intelligence long ago forgot how to think critically. I see it in the type of testing I now do. I am blown away at how people in such positions can be so ignorant of current events, the world news, etc. and at how little analytical thinking is demonstrated.
// posted by USWest
I agree with US West regarding the sillyness of the "don't let Johny feel bad just because he can't read at the age of 18" attitude.
I was thinking purely in practical terms. We can't suddenly flunk several hundred thousand students. What will we do with them? Will they never be allowed get a high school diploma? Will they be sent back to 12th grade? 11th? Where will be put them? If you think schools are over burdened now, try imposing these tests without dramatically increasing funding.
// posted by Raised By Republicans
Nope, make the kids pay for it. They have had 18 years ofr free education. If they haven't bothered to show up, make them pay for their GED. If they can't afford it, too bad so sad. At some point, the gig is up.
// posted by USWest
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