Comments on: New SC Achievement Gap Data Doesn’t Add Up

By: Frank Simpkins

Frank Simpkins — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:13:46 +0000

I recently read an article in USA WEEKEND, by Colin and Alma Powell, titled “One in Three Kids Drops Out of School”……These figures are even more devastating for Black inner-city students!…..Black students graduate three years behind White kids…Black students have a drop-out rate of 53%…. If we combine this drop-out rate with the highly conservative estimate that 16% of these students, will fail to pass state required exit exams, we arrive at a figure, indicating that only 37% of Black students will receive high school diplomas…Our book “Between the Rhetoric and Reality” Lauriat Press; Simpkins&Simpkins, 2009.. can be previewed on either Amazon.Com,or Borders”.

By: Frank Simpkins

Frank Simpkins — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:18:09 +0000

The Black/White Academic Achievement Gap can be effectively, and substantially curtailed during this upcoming decade!”History teaches us, that men behave wisely,when they have exhausted all other alternatives”(Abba Eban). Read the book”Between The Rhetoric and Reality”:Lauriat Press,2009.

By: Public School Achievement Gap in South Carolina « The Voice for School Choice

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:06:21 +0000

[...] FITS News observes: What’s interesting is how this new data doesn’t mesh with data taken from three independently-administered tests over the past decade. [...]

By: Ha Ha

Ha Ha — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:14:12 +0000

NEAP is testing younger kids…
The DEEP failures of public schools in South Carolina do not become clear until late middle school and high school level (assuming the kids are even still enrolled)
@Toyota – what is your solution, more money for educrats and consultants?. i bet you’d love a phat gubermint job and some nice gubermint benefits too!

By: The Keeper

The Keeper — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:45:27 +0000

Ok, without getting all psychometrician on you…

With all due respect to Trey, that argument doesn’t make much sense. Fourth graders don’t really know or care whether the test is high stakes or not. (And it isn’t high stakes to them – they still move onto the fifth grade.) The impact of consequences has some impact on 8th graders but it really isn’t determinative. The NAEP results compare quite well in other states were state tests are rigorous.

The change of a point on the NAEP (in ether direction) isn’t of consequence. Once you get to 4-5 points, then it means something of note is going on.

The SAT/ACT test results are also difficult to judge as the self-selection process and percentage of students participating will mean different results.

If the achievement gap on state assessments appears to be expanding, then there is something else going on. It could be test preparation but it warrants further study. Perhaps Ed Trust or Fordham Institute could get interested in the issue. The slightly comforting news is that the NAEP results are trustworthy – and the achievement gaps aren’t getting worse.

By: John

John — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:11:22 +0000

This is why you send your children to private school.

By: Toyota Kawaski

Toyota Kawaski — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:06:45 +0000

Yesah Sir Mr.Rich right away sir’s

By: GnuBerry

GnuBerry — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:11:26 +0000

you seem obsessed with vouchers

By: Trey

Trey — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:19:10 +0000

The difference in data should be obvious, the data referenced is from a sparsely select group of kids that only represent a sampling of students. The test is not high stakes and many times kids put forth minimal effort to perform on the National Assessment for Educational Progress.

The state test, on the other hand is given to all students and is high stakes and kids often are compelled to really put forth significant effort. Two entirely different data sets.

Even so, how do you know that the narrowing of the data gap is not our smartest kids in the system beginning to average down to the mediocrity of public schools and in doing so collapse the gap from the top downward.