That is correct EWandF. Ohio law enforces much higher standards for traditional public schools -- and that includes for teacher evaluation.
KurtW -- I am just someone who understands and deals with statistics in my daily life. I don't know how some people in the public developed the misconceptions on this topic that you voice. But I know you are not the only one. No industrialized nation is "light years" behind others on these international tests. The differences between scores between the first twenty or so countries on these ratings are very small. The Secretary of Education, who is no friend of public education, admitted as much when he said that there is more difference between the highest and lowest achieving states in this country than there is between industrialized countries. Here's when you should worry: when students from the United States work to attend college in Finland or Japan instead of the other way around.
Awesome letter, Leo Feher. People who lack perspective start to feel sorry for themselves over perceived slights. That is behavior of a coddled middle school girl, not an adult.
Maybe I better mention that whenever these test scores are discussed, the percentile doesn't refer to the students' scores on the test. The top students didn't score a 43%! The percent refers to the portion of students at a particular level. Usually these tests are scored by have students accumulate points, for example, a student may earn 412 points.
You have to be careful when reading these stories about tests. I didn't give you one where Massachusetts was a leader in "growth". I skipped it because Louisiana and Tennessee were also leaders in "growth" because they started so low. But their scores were still far below Massachusetts. The US Secretary of Education recently pointed out that there is more variance between scores from state to state than there is between industrialized countries on international tests.
lol...Ohio gave the word "proficiency" another meaning in our tests! In these tests it means performing at the best level. In this test, countries with close to 100% basic literacy like Singapore, Finland, and U.S. states all have scores of "proficiency" of 40 or 30 percent. Think about it. If 50% percent of students scored at that level, it really couldn't be called the best anymore. It would then be the "average"! Since Ohio threw the word "proficiency" around so much, it's understandable that it lost its meaning for you.
"Within the United States, Massachusetts is again the leader, with 43 percent of 8th-grade students performing at the NAEP proficient level in reading. Shanghai students perform at a higher level, however, with 55 percent of young people proficient in reading. Within the United States, Vermont is a close second to its neighbor to the south, with a 42 percent proficiency rate. New Jersey and South Dakota come next, with 39 and 37 percent of the students identified as proficient in reading."
http://www.epdc.org/sites/default/fil... The state of Massachusetts (U.S.), with the formulation by John Adams in the late 1770s of its state constitution, has placed a high value on equitable access to quality education. Since the mid 1990s Massachusetts’ ranking on the National Assessment of Education Performance (NAEP) has increased from number four to number one on math and reading in 4th and 8th grades. Massachusetts, which first benchmarked itself on TIMSS in 1999, achieved high scores in math and science and has continued over time to improve its standing on TIMSS relative to other countries worldwide. Like Singapore, Brazil, and Namibia, an important focus of Massachusetts’ education reforms has been focusing its efforts on increasing educational quality in underserved districts.
NAEP 8th Grade Reading Top Performers: 1 Massachusetts 2.New Jersey 3 Connecticut 4 Vermont 5 Montana http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/... Mathematics: The percentage of students in Massachusetts who performed at or above the NAEP Basic level was 93 percent in 2011. This percentage was not significantly different from that in 2009 (92 percent) and was greater than that in 1992 (68 percent). http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/...
As a model, NuPanther uses few words to get to the heart of the matter.
Yes, Panther, I am bitter about the situation that paints charter schools as saints to smear public schools. Why ask about siblings denied an education at Youngstown Community? Because posters from Youngstown Community on this very thread claim that every child can be admitted. That is not true. The public schools take on the students YCS rejects.
I'm not hinting at your numbered statements. I'm outright asserting that there are teachers at YCS who are either unaware of the Ohio Department of Education document on ethical test giving, or who just flout it. Notice the nice story about YCS's excellent rating. What did Campbell's public school district get in the same situation? An investigation that turned into a huge statewide investigation.
There are two perspectives here. A parent has a close view of how a school educates her own children, and is rightly concerned with the narrow focus of their progress. But the same person can be a citizen taking a broad view of how public policy affects all children over a long period of time.
Shortly, Youngstown City Schools will be gone. A subject of history and nostalgia. Was that outcome in the best interest of the area's children?
Useless -- Basic literacy is learned by 3rd grade. Critical thinking, logic, reflection take longer and require challenging a student's assumptions and misconceptions. A student can read independently, but may seek true wisdom from a challenging mentor.
You might want to seek a writing teacher who can show you the value of concise writing.
I do not think most parents in the city approve of the plan. They were not at a meeting. Instead they will make their opinion known by transferring their children or moving. Why pretend this plan has anything to do with what is best academically or socially for the children? It's purpose is 100% financial.
Graduates of public schools in Massachusetts have the highest test results in the world, and college admittance to go along with them.
You blame NYC schools for the idiocy of some of its ghettoized students? Given the success and creativity of other graduates of the same schools, do you think something else might be at work?
Maybe the individual molds what he/she takes out of school lessons, rather than the other way around.
Although many concerns about charter schools remain constant from state to state, Ohio is known nationally as "the Wild West" of charter schools where charter schools are poorly regulated or checked, where there are many horror stories of charter school operators disappearing along with the funding we gave them.
State rates Youngstown Community School ‘excellent’
That is correct EWandF. Ohio law enforces much higher standards for traditional public schools -- and that includes for teacher evaluation.
KurtW -- I am just someone who understands and deals with statistics in my daily life. I don't know how some people in the public developed the misconceptions on this topic that you voice. But I know you are not the only one.
No industrialized nation is "light years" behind others on these international tests. The differences between scores between the first twenty or so countries on these ratings are very small. The Secretary of Education, who is no friend of public education, admitted as much when he said that there is more difference between the highest and lowest achieving states in this country than there is between industrialized countries.
Here's when you should worry: when students from the United States work to attend college in Finland or Japan instead of the other way around.
March 17, 2013 at 2:16 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Parade sends mixed message
Awesome letter, Leo Feher. People who lack perspective start to feel sorry for themselves over perceived slights. That is behavior of a coddled middle school girl, not an adult.
March 17, 2013 at 2:05 p.m. permalink suggest removal
State rates Youngstown Community School ‘excellent’
Maybe I better mention that whenever these test scores are discussed, the percentile doesn't refer to the students' scores on the test. The top students didn't score a 43%! The percent refers to the portion of students at a particular level. Usually these tests are scored by have students accumulate points, for example, a student may earn 412 points.
You have to be careful when reading these stories about tests. I didn't give you one where Massachusetts was a leader in "growth". I skipped it because Louisiana and Tennessee were also leaders in "growth" because they started so low. But their scores were still far below Massachusetts. The US Secretary of Education recently pointed out that there is more variance between scores from state to state than there is between industrialized countries on international tests.
March 13, 2013 at 1:10 p.m. permalink suggest removal
State rates Youngstown Community School ‘excellent’
lol...Ohio gave the word "proficiency" another meaning in our tests! In these tests it means performing at the best level. In this test, countries with close to 100% basic literacy like Singapore, Finland, and U.S. states all have scores of "proficiency" of 40 or 30 percent. Think about it. If 50% percent of students scored at that level, it really couldn't be called the best anymore. It would then be the "average"! Since Ohio threw the word "proficiency" around so much, it's understandable that it lost its meaning for you.
March 13, 2013 at 12:59 p.m. permalink suggest removal
State rates Youngstown Community School ‘excellent’
Uselesseater asked: "Graduates of public schools in Massachusetts have the highest test results in the world"
"From where is that factoid taken from?"
Education Voter offers some resources to explore:
Mass. pupils near the top in math and science:State 8th graders lead peers in most nations
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012...
TIMSS Results Place Massachusetts Among World Leaders in Math and Science
http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.asp...
Study: Mass. 8th-graders elite in math, science
http://www.boston.com/news/local/mass...
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/pepg/PDF/P...
"Within the United States, Massachusetts is again the leader, with 43 percent
of 8th-grade students performing at the NAEP proficient level in reading.
Shanghai students perform at a higher level, however, with 55 percent of young
people proficient in reading. Within the United States, Vermont is a close
second to its neighbor to the south, with a 42 percent proficiency rate. New
Jersey and South Dakota come next, with 39 and 37 percent of the students
identified as proficient in reading."
http://www.epdc.org/sites/default/fil...
The state of Massachusetts (U.S.), with the formulation by John Adams in the late 1770s of its state constitution, has placed a high value on equitable access to quality education. Since the mid 1990s Massachusetts’ ranking on the National Assessment of Education Performance (NAEP) has increased from number four to number one on math and reading in 4th and 8th grades. Massachusetts, which first benchmarked itself on TIMSS in 1999, achieved high scores in math and science and has continued over time to improve its standing on TIMSS relative to other countries worldwide. Like Singapore, Brazil, and Namibia, an important focus of Massachusetts’ education reforms has been focusing its efforts on increasing educational quality in underserved districts.
NAEP 8th Grade Reading Top Performers:
1 Massachusetts 2.New Jersey 3 Connecticut 4 Vermont 5 Montana
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/...
Mathematics: The percentage of students in Massachusetts who performed at or above the NAEP Basic level was 93 percent in 2011. This percentage was not significantly different from that in 2009 (92 percent) and was greater than that in 1992 (68 percent).
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/...
March 13, 2013 at 12:39 a.m. permalink suggest removal
State rates Youngstown Community School ‘excellent’
As a model, NuPanther uses few words to get to the heart of the matter.
Yes, Panther, I am bitter about the situation that paints charter schools as saints to smear public schools. Why ask about siblings denied an education at Youngstown Community? Because posters from Youngstown Community on this very thread claim that every child can be admitted. That is not true. The public schools take on the students YCS rejects.
I'm not hinting at your numbered statements. I'm outright asserting that there are teachers at YCS who are either unaware of the Ohio Department of Education document on ethical test giving, or who just flout it. Notice the nice story about YCS's excellent rating. What did Campbell's public school district get in the same situation? An investigation that turned into a huge statewide investigation.
There are two perspectives here. A parent has a close view of how a school educates her own children, and is rightly concerned with the narrow focus of their progress. But the same person can be a citizen taking a broad view of how public policy affects all children over a long period of time.
Shortly, Youngstown City Schools will be gone. A subject of history and nostalgia. Was that outcome in the best interest of the area's children?
March 12, 2013 at 11:12 p.m. permalink suggest removal
State rates Youngstown Community School ‘excellent’
Useless -- Basic literacy is learned by 3rd grade. Critical thinking, logic, reflection take longer and require challenging a student's assumptions and misconceptions. A student can read independently, but may seek true wisdom from a challenging mentor.
You might want to seek a writing teacher who can show you the value of concise writing.
March 12, 2013 at 10:51 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Community backs new city schools plan
I do not think most parents in the city approve of the plan. They were not at a meeting. Instead they will make their opinion known by transferring their children or moving.
Why pretend this plan has anything to do with what is best academically or socially for the children? It's purpose is 100% financial.
March 11, 2013 at 11:04 p.m. permalink suggest removal
State rates Youngstown Community School ‘excellent’
Graduates of public schools in Massachusetts have the highest test results in the world, and college admittance to go along with them.
You blame NYC schools for the idiocy of some of its ghettoized students? Given the success and creativity of other graduates of the same schools, do you think something else might be at work?
Maybe the individual molds what he/she takes out of school lessons, rather than the other way around.
March 11, 2013 at 10:49 p.m. permalink suggest removal
Charter schools fail to make grade
Although many concerns about charter schools remain constant from state to state, Ohio is known nationally as "the Wild West" of charter schools where charter schools are poorly regulated or checked, where there are many horror stories of charter school operators disappearing along with the funding we gave them.
March 11, 2013 at 9:19 p.m. permalink suggest removal