... anything can happen.
Today's topic is so deep that I'm actually intimidated by this blog post. Instead of letting it rip, in the interest of time, I'll summarize what's happening.
To fight racism, Oregon has ditched proficiency requirements for graduation.
“SECTION 3. Notwithstanding any rules adopted by the State Board of Education, a student may not be required to show proficiency in Essential Learning Skills as a condition of receiving a high school diploma during the 2021-2022, 2022-2023 or 2023-2024 school year.”
Information Theory Analysis - A high school diploma from Oregon now conveys almost zero bytes of data. That is, it only tells you that the student was enrolled for four years. That's it.
Racial Justice And White Supremacy Shake Hands - I don't remember where I saw it, but in a comment on one of these articles, a compassionate soul said that it was time we all just admitted that blacks have substantially lower IQs. We can't expect them to pass these tests. That white supremacist take is simply a restatement of the racial justice crowd in Oregon's proficiency policies. #Winning!
Contained in the essay linked above are further links showing how children in other cities are failing in staggering numbers.
Many of us have long objected to the chronic failure of public schools in major cities like New York, Detroit, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore to achieve bare proficiency for many students in reading, writing, and math. The response in many districts is for some to declare standardized testing or meritocracy as racist while other district eliminate special programs or schools for gifted students. Oregon has found a simpler approach. Gov. Kate Brown (D) just signed a bill last month that drops any proficiency requirement in reading, writing or math, before graduation. Problem solved.
I clicked through to the links and read through the articles. They look like all the other ones I've seen. The explanations fall into one of two groups - red ones and blue ones. The reds say the public schools are the problem. The blues say that funding and racism are at fault. No one says the families are the issue. I may have missed it, but not once did I see family structure mentioned.
Everyone, red and blue alike, are hunting leprechauns.
I'm going to blame the academy. It's the job of our researchers to assemble a list of candidate hypotheses and test them. When the simplest hypothesis is not even mentioned, the only thing I can conclude is that our scientists are indeed charlatans and poltroons.
Bonus Tidbit
“I never really went to school, but you know what I'm saying? I was always getting passed. You know what I'm saying?” a former Augusta Fells student told Project Baltimore.
The former student is now a 22-year-old man, who we are not naming. For two years after dropping out, his name remained on the rolls of the school, likely increasing the tax dollars it received, even though he was not attending. But that’s not the only reason his story is important.
“I never really went for the whole school year. I was hooking school and stuff like that. So, every time I did go, like in the beginning of the school year, I was always in a higher grade than what I was last time,” the former student told Project Baltimore.
That's not the best part. The best part is that he had a GPA of 0.97. How in the world do you get a non-zero GPA when you don't even go to school?
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| The dude must be some sort of genius to have gotten more than a zero on tests he didn't even take. |
2 comments:
Information Theory Analysis - A high school diploma from Oregon now conveys almost zero bytes of data. That is, it only tells you that the student was enrolled for four years. That's it.
It also conveys that you got passing grades in the classes you took during those four years. As someone with three (out of 5) kids somewhere on the autism spectrum, I would be highly dismayed that my kids were denied recognition of their hard work simply because they are bad at filling in bubbles on a sheet of paper. Did you even look up the entire bill? You only used the quote-mined piece designed to instill outrage.
https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB744/Enrolled
Another section includes: "Review state requirements for high school diploma options offered in this state, as those requirements are prescribed by ORS 329.451 and by rules adopted by the State Board of Education", in other words, some diplomas may be issued that indicate the student did not pass the test. Many states already have a version of this.
Another part: "If the department concludes that demonstrations of proficiency of Essential Learning Skills should be retained, the department shall provide recommendations for alternative methods for students to demonstrate proficiency in skills or academic content areas that are not related to career and technical education."
While I'm sure it's not deliberate, do you realize you are saying disabled kids should get no recognition at all for putting in the same amount effort over 4 years that more abled kids put in? Is that really the position you want to take?
“I never really went for the whole school year."
That's not the best part. The best part is that he had a GPA of 0.97. How in the world do you get a non-zero GPA when you don't even go to school?
You attend enough that, in classes that rely strictly on tests for grades (by the way, in this same post weren't you a supporter of using testing as the basis for deciding who gets a diploma?), you can eke out a few Bs/Cs in a couple of semesters.
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