Sunday, September 6, 2009

How stupid do they think we are?

From the Neighborhood Retail Alliance:

If any one can really make heads or tails out of the latest school grades released by the DOE-well, good luck. It has a bit of the old, "The operation was a success, but the patient died," quality to it. As the NY Times reports, 97% of all of the city schools received either an A or a B on the latest round of evaluations: "The news could have been cause for a huge celebration: a whopping 97 percent of New York’s elementary and middle schools earning an A or B on the city’s annual report card. Yet Chancellor Joel I. Klein was tempered in his praise, careful to say that the high marks did not necessarily mean that the city was filled with excellent schools."

What the grades do mean, then, escapes us: "We want to make clear that that means that they met their progress targets,” Mr. Klein said, a tad defensively, at a news conference at Public School 189 in Washington Heights on Wednesday. “Not by any stretch of the imagination that those schools don’t have a lot of improvement ahead of them.” At the same time, when asked if there was something wrong with a grading system in which nearly every school earned top marks — 889 of the 1,058 graded schools got A’s, and just two received F’s — he clearly took pride in the results. “If you’re asking whether I would rather see less A’s,” he said, “the answer is no.”

Boy, this is really so confusing. If the grades are not precise indicators, and, "a lot of improvement," is still needed, why the fanfare over these grades? And the rising grades simply encourages skepticism about the entire grading scheme-kinda like the questionable standardized test scores that gets Klein all chest puffy. As the Times points out: "Suddenly, New York City looks like Lake Wobegon, where all the children are above average — or like the Ivy League, noted for grade inflation that makes, say, a B-minus seem like the new F."


Here's another from the same blog:

Well, the bloom certainly came off the DOE rose pretty quickly for the editorialists at the NY Post, didn't it? It seems as if the fact that over 97% of all the city schools received an "A" or a "B" grade doesn't sit all that well over at the paper; and we wonder if they're having some second thoughts about the way they shamelessly supported the purported Bloomberg Miracle: "The city Department of Education this week released letter grades scoring each of the New York's public elementary and middle schools -- and it turns out that nearly every one of them is above average. Indeed, the results simply beggar the imagination. Of the thousand-plus schools graded, nearly 900, or 85 percent, scored an A -- up from fewer than 400 last year. A mere 27 received C's, D's or F's."

It appears that these grades are like those anomalous SAT test scores that show someone jumping hundreds of points from one exam to the next-can any one say, "Re-test?" But the Post has some 'splaining to do: "We know the schools are improving, but that's a little ridiculous.

When Schools Chancellor Joel Klein unveiled the grading system two years ago, he touted it as a revolutionary new way to measure overall student progress -- and hold principals accountable for it. A worthy goal -- but not many can be shaking in their boots this year. And what does a top grade even mean, if nearly every school in the system "earns" one?"

Of course, the Daily News editorial board is there to bail these two nitwits out:

Conspiracy-minded critics suggest that Bloomberg, in an election year, is playing fast and loose with numbers to get votes.

Wrong. This was simply a big flub. One that must not happen again.

6 comments:

Taxpayer said...

The Commissar invites himself to grade his own work in a year that he's campaigning for an illegal third term, and, lo and behold! he grades himself so high that a reasonable person would think he just a common, turtle-faced liar (again).

Did anyone expect the truth from this lover of the middle class?

Dump him!

Take back control!

Your kids need you to step up and save them from this predator.

Step up now.

Show him you're the boss and your kids are far too precious to be left under his lying control.

Dump him!

astorians.com Not! said...

Plenty stupid. Take a look at the pathetic postings on astorians.com as they tackle the growing slum in their community.

The response to the trashing of Astoria Park brings tears of frustration to anyone with synapses that function.

http://www.astorians.com/community/index.php?topic=15915.0

However, their quest for Sri Lankan food shows that the top floor might not be furnished, but the elevator still runs.

http://www.astorians.com/community/index.php?topic=16075.0

M Bloomhitler said...

If I told you once, I told you a thousand times...look the other way!!! Sheesh. Are you trying to steal the election from me by telling the truth? Nice try. Who's buying it? Relax. You'll have me for at LEAST another 4 years. Hey kids, start practicing your "goose" steps! They're a gas!

Anonymous said...

Weren't teachers just paid hefty bonuses for successfully teaching to the test and improving scores?

Check out yesterday's (I believe) New York Post.

Anonymous said...

The tests are being dumbied down, thereby, making it easy for children to pass. They make tests so the kids can't fail but they're not learning either. What an injustice this is to the students. These kids are the future of this great country so what the hell is the Mayor & the BOE doing...they're making the numbers look & sound good but in essence they're turning out kids who don't know squat!!! How sad is that.

Anonymous said...

This Bloomberg pathetic test score program is no child left behind type testing on steriods. Not very interactive, just pushing rote material for kids to "learn".