South Carolina’s public school scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) fell another six points this year according to data released Tuesday by the College Board, which administers the test. Nationally, scores slipped by just two points.
Obviously, South Carolina’s results – which are among the worst in the nation – don’t include the thousands of kids who drop out of school, either.
According to the College Board, the state’s class of 2009 scored a combined average of 1,452 (out of 2,400) – which is 59 points below the national average. Scores fell in every category.
This marks the third consecutive year that South Carolina’s public school SAT scores are down, which coincides neatly with the tenure of S.C. Superintendent of Education Jim Rex, who believe it or not is running for governor based on those pathetic results.
Last year, S.C. public school scores dropped by five points, yet Rex curiously put out a press release praising gains that were provided exclusively by private and independent schools (i.e. the schools his Ministry of Failure and Non-Competition continues working to shut down).
This year, Rex boasts that public schools saw a smaller decline than private schools, which neglects to mention that there is only so much further our public schools can fall.
Even in the midst of a national recession, South Carolina continues to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into public education – with absolutely nothing to show for it.
That trend continues in the current budget, as per-pupil funding in South Carolina this year reached $11,500, its highest-level ever.
By Mike August 25, 2009 at 12:24 pm
You will no doubt now suffer the aspersions of the educrats for discussing this, so let me beat them to the punch:
Oh, you and your love for vouchers (yes, I know there was no mention of vouchers in this piece).
It’s Howard Rich’s fault.
We should just spend more per-pupil, since thus far the more we spend the lower our scores/grad rates fall.
Oh, and for Bin NEWS- voucher scam, voucher scam, balh, blah, blah…
By Between Scylla and Charybdis August 25, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Save yourselves, young, altruistic types. Back when the world was young, I became certfied in order to teach in SC schools. After surviving a violent attack from a student who was not punished, I resigned. Now I can’t make a livable wage in private schools, I can’t send my own child to private school because I have no money, and I can’t send my child to our pos schools where violence and stupidity reign. I should have joined the Peace Corps. At least malaria and parasites are temporary!
By Ron August 25, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Great post Will,
Now they’ll tell us that if we spend 15k per child per year in SC, our schools will become superior. Oh and I’ve got some beautiful land in the Everglades to sell anyone that’s interested. LOL
By HMMM August 25, 2009 at 2:42 pm
The College Board reports private school SAT performance, too. Since Sic left that part out, here’s where we stand.
Parochial: 45th in the nation, down 7 points, 34 point gap to national average
Independent: 49th in the nation, down 38 points, 175 point gap to national average.
By lkmurrayfan August 25, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Not every child goes to college but SC High Schools are “encouraged” by the state dept for all to take the tests – why is that? Then we look like dolts compared to the rest of the country – Maine doesn’t make every high schooler take these tests but we’re ranked against them like they do. Also, a lot of smart kids have ditched the SAT for the ACT – shorter test, also works for scholarships and it’s not an aptitude test but an assessment test – there really is a difference.
By Ron August 25, 2009 at 4:41 pm
HMMM:
To what do you atribute the low standing among parochial and independent schools?
By HMMM August 25, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Ron: I don’t have any idea, and I’ve never spoken to anyone who did.
By Gillon August 25, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Thanks for the info HMMM–very interesting. Can’t imagine why Sic wouldn’t let his readers in on that information. What say thou Sic? Any explanation, defense, excuse for:
1. Why you kept the info secret?
2. Why SC private schools fare no better in a national comparison than public ones?
3. Why SC taxpayers should subsidize through vouchers “failing private schools” when it appears they rate no better among their national peers than public ones?
By BIN News Editorial Staff August 25, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Because sic(k) willie is nothing but a pimp for Howie’s voucher scam he ignores the fact that SC private school SAT scores are down 22 points.
http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/915490.html
Down 22 points!! Gosh! Gee!
sic(k) willie, you “ignorant slut.”
You must address that! Certainly Howie’s voucher clowns at Voice for Voucher Scams have some BS rhetoric for you to pimp.
sic(k) willie, the voucher scam has been exposed in S.C., and it’s dead.
And, you’ve been exposed in S.C. just like markie-mark sanfraud.
Frauds and political pimps in S.C. should form a PAC.
Ohhh. Sorry. They already have.
THE S.C. Policy Scam Council
THE Voice for Voucher Scams
THE Citizens for (Ir)Responsible Guver’n'ment
And watch for the next astroturf organization: P.P.S.D.H.V.S.M.
Political Pimps Sucking Down Howie’s Voucher Scam Money
BIN News Editorial Staff
Flair and Balanced
By Workin' Tommy C August 26, 2009 at 11:23 am
To be fair, as pointed out above, the comparison with other states is completely unfair. If we’re going to make every student take the test in SC, we should apply it exclusively to the group that we spend most of our education dollars on: mid-level, non-teaching, breathing our air, bureaucratic no-loads! I’m not saying that would improve the scores that way. They’d probably still suck just like they suck up nearly all of our education dollars.
What we need to do is to cut the waste, make the test voluntary, and otherwise quit slitting our own throats in the world of spurious statistics and other silliness in the effort to compare our governmental body parts with those of other states.
(We should also offer the ACT as an alternative–I got to take either or both voluntarily when I was in Alabama’s school system in High School. I opted for the ACT as a fairer assessment.)
Not saying it happens now but when taking the standardized tests during junior high and high school (done purely for assessment purposes) on more than one occasion, I purposely checked answers at random to get it out of the way.
That took one 98th percentile student down to the 36th percentile. The way I looked at it, I worked hard enough as it was on real tests that actually affected my grades and wasn’t going to strain my brain on yet more testing which was stressful enough.
I am not trying to justify my slight sabotage job as a minor when I state that we worry waaaaaay too much about chasing education dollars with such testing statistics, anyway. That’s what a huge, bulging mid-level non-teaching educational bureaucracy reaps for us. They don’t have enough to do LIKE ACTUALLY TEACHING! Instead, those no-loads can always point at the poor scores and demand money.
If we were to actually improve by instituting a common sense, frugal, disciplined, and lean teaching establishment, the no-loads figure they wouldn’t have any rationale at all for having a job, much less getting any additional money. After all, it’s so undignified to BEG for anything when they can sabotage the statistics as well as the learning process and DEMAND that we help the children. They cry about the children all the way to the bank, I’m sure.