Tuesday, July 8, 2008

What Tests Do College Presidents and Public School Principals Like?

Some interesting comments were made in yesterday’s Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee meeting in Frankfort.

Dr. Wayne Andrews, the president of Morehead State University, discussed the inadequate preparation of many Morehead freshmen. He said about 40 percent of each new class requires remediation in at least one subject, usually math.

To combat this problem, Morehead started a cooperative program with public schools called the College Algebra Program. What is particularly interesting is the way Morehead measures the success of students that complete it. Morehead isn’t using the state’s CATS for this. Instead, they use the ACT college entrance test.

Other comments came from Tim Bobrowski, principal of Sebastian Middle School in Breathitt County. Bobrowski is very favorably impressed with the EXPLORE test, also created by ACT, Incorporated. He pointed out that EXPLORE shows kids where they stand in eighth grade, soon enough to give students a chance to repair some of their deficiencies.

Why is this interesting? During and after the debate on Senate Bill 1 from this year’s regular session, a rather concerted attack on these ACT created tests was launched by a group the Paducah Sun has dubbed the “KERA Amen Chorus.” The misguided crowd in the “Chorus” issued several papers attacking the validity of the ACT’s tests for eighth and tenth graders while taking swipes at the ACT college entrance test, as well. Among other things, it looks like the “Chorus” covets the money spent on these ACT tests and would prefer us to dump all of that cash into their beloved, though already bloated, CATS assessments, instead.

What was reiterated yesterday is that many don’t sing along with the “Chorus.” At least one practicing public school educator does not agree. At least one college in the state knows where to go when it needs to evaluate math preparation for college, as well, and that isn’t to the state’s home-grown CATS assessment, either. And, since school principals and college presidents are on the leading edge of dealing with the real issues in KERA, we probably need to give those folks more credence in preference to a group of ideologues who just seem to be singing off-tune.

2 comments:

KyJimbo said...

Gosh what a concept using the past ACT's to test elementary proficiency in math. What about reading comprehension, science, etc. etc. I could never understand why the powers to be just didn't use logic and prepare our kids for college with college prep exams. I've always, from day one, thought KERA was a joke. Just another government, I mean populus, funded attempt at controlling what our kids learn. I find it amazing that our government has to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on a national search for an education leader for OUR STATE. Then pay them a high six figure income. What! can't find anybody in Kentucky worthy of Lead educator in the State? Sounds like the state should follow Moreheads lead. It's time to bag KERA

Anonymous said...

“kyjimbo” is right on target with concerns about KERA controlling what our kids learn.

The problem is, KERA isn't preparing students for postsecondary education or life in general. It’s no wonder our college remediation rates are way above national average (watch this video to see that comparison
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tglYMz1z-c0 ).

Math, in particular, is a really weak area. Kentucky definitely has one of those "mile wide, inch deep" programs you hear so much about. The state’s program deemphasizes critical basic math topics needed to prepare for algebra and shortchanges students on practice needed to develop basic math fluency. This runs completely counter to the new, scientifically based recommendations in the National Mathematics Advisory Panel report.

It amazes me that some here actually believe the math needs of Kentucky children are somehow different from what kids around the rest of the nation need. Kentucky’s educators turned their backs on the rest of the nation and invented a "Kentucky Math" that we then test with our homegrown CATS tests, which don’t link to performance around the rest of the nation, either.

So, under CATS, Kentucky’s parents and teachers get no clue how their kids measure up to the rest of the country.

This conceited and self-centered attitude about math is symptomatic of all areas of KERA’s implementation. In the days of the internet and worldwide economic systems, with the exception of social studies (where some attention to Kentucky’s unique history and governance is appropriate), our educational system shouldn’t look much different from what kids get elsewhere. Continuing our inward-focused KERA approach not only makes no sense, it wastefully duplicates effort while leading to generations of poorly educated younger citizens ill equipped to compete in the world’s economy.