Tag Archives: test

U.S.

Dumb ‘Mericans: Investigation reveals U.S. Schools continue to FAIL, standardized test scores off the charts

“These findings are concerning.”-Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) has published the results of their investigation into standardized test scores across the United States.

Sompin’ fishy in Denmark! The chilins ain’t gettin’ an edjumacation!

Scores from 69,000 public schools, in 49 states, were compared.  Standardized test scores should not vary greatly from year to year.  The norm is considered 5%.  Yet the AJC found percentages in variation as great as 29.17% (a school district in Rhode Island)!

In many cases, students who scored well one year absolutely crashed and burned the very next year!  If teaching was consistent from grade level to grade level, and the students are answering the questions honestly, something like that shouldn’t happen.

Such high variance suggests the test result were falsified, although the AJC is not going so far as to make that claim.  Investigators are asking the U.S. Department of Education to look into it.

Idaho, U.S.

Dumb ‘Mericans: South East Idaho’s School District 25 “flagged” for “suspicious” test scores, again!

In an independent investigation into public school federal test scores, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found the Southeastern Idaho School District 25 had suspicious test scores three years in a row.

The Pocatello/Chubbuck/Bannock County school district was “flagged” because it had test results that varied from year to year “outside the norm”.

A normal variance is considered 5% from year to year.

In 2008 there was a 13.1% variance.  In 2009 it was 8.54% variance.  In 2010 it jumped to 14.29% variance in test scores from the previous year!

Compare School District 25’s test score variance to Eastern Idaho’s School District 91 (aka Idaho Falls district): 2008; 1.28%. 2009; 6.41%. 2010; 6.41%.  Much closer to the 5% “normal” variance.

Researchers say if education is consistent, and the children taking the tests are answering the questions from their own knowledge, then there shouldn’t be such high shifts in Idaho School District 25’s test scores from year to year.