Mind-boggling/ADE Celebrates Low Test Scores (Even at the 18% percentile)

No Mention Made of the Graduation Rate Slipping 10% this last year in Arkansas
Graduation Rate in 1992 was 88% and in 2006 it was 71% (17% lower)

Once more the Arkansas Department of Education and the editorialists at the Arkansas Democrat Gazette are determined to make the public believe that government control and more money improves education. They are actually once again celebrating Arkansas test scores that at best have to be described with the oxymoron, "STEADY, BUT FALLING BEHIND." 1

In relation to the recent NAEP scores, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) press release actually included this mind- boggling statement, "Recent educational reforms have produced higher test scores across the board for Arkansas students in recent years, and Arkansas performance standards have been judged by national organizations to be some of the most rigorous and closely aligned with NAEP of any state in the nation. 2

(Has anyone seen an ADE Press Release on the graduation rate falling 10% this last year (from 2006 to 2007?] Wonder how they would spin that? 3 Watch for some finagling of these numbers by 2007. How can any education program be improving when you are failing to educate 29% of the children in Arkansas - 71 % was the graduation rate in 2006, the last reported rate. )

Ken James is also quoted in a recent newspaper story about the most recent NAEP scores: "In 2005, our scores fell at or very near the national average, but because the rest of the nation showed improved performance, we have slipped a bit in terms of state rankings in all areas, save mathematics at the fourth grade." Even before this slip in state rankings, in 2005

Only nine states scored lower than Arkansas on the 8th Grade Math NAEP Test in 2005 [That would be in the bottom quartile] or at the 18th percentile.
Only twelve states scored lower than Arkansas on the 8th Grade Reading NAEP Test in 2005 [This would be in the bottom quartile] or at 24th percentile
Only sixteen states scored lower than Arkansas on the 4th Grade Reading NAEP Test in 2005. [That would be at the 32 percentile]
Only 18 states scored lower than Arkansas on the 4th Grade NAEP Math Test in 2005. [That would be at the 36 percentile] See other negative national measures on Arkansas bulleted below. NAEP Test Scores. See this article and link for more on these NAEP Test Scores: "Did we win the Olympic Gold Medal on the Arkansas NAEP, or did we Bomb It? You Decide!" http://www.wpaag.org/Test%20scores%20-%20NAEP%20Olympic%20Win%20or%20Bombed.htm

How can our test scores be the most rigorous and closely aligned with NAEP of any state in the nation as ADE contends and have scores even lower than those reported above on the NAEP this year? And why in 2005 did 50% of Arkansas students score Proficient or above on our state benchmark scores and only 34% scored Proficient on the national NAEP if the tests are aligned so well?

For a starter, keep in mind that on these rigorous Arkansas benchmark tests a student on the Arkansas 8th grade math who scores only 39 points out of 80 points (less than 50%) is considered Proficient (Equivalent to a B or B+. ) ADE requires that teachers give students with anything less than a 60% an F, not a B. In other words, as I wrote in an article before, the testing system has been corrupted.

The bottom line is that scores have no real meaning now thanks to the government control philosophy. Education has become totally politicized so the scores are totally corrupted – the powers that be interpret them anyway they want and can change the cut off scores or difficulty of the tests anyway that is necessary to prove their programs are working. And even though the reforms are heralded over and over as transparent, 99% of the people can't prove them wrong. The teachers and many citizens know it in their heart but can't get it out to the public because the media is on the side of government control. See this link for a long article entitled "Testing System corrupted, No Correlation Among NAEP, IBS, and Benchmark Tests." http://www.wpaag.org/Testing%20-%20Debacle-No%20Correlation%20NAEEP-ITBS-Benchmark.htm

Other national negative measurements of Arkansas Educational System. It is obvious that Arkansas has not received any benefit from the billions added for education in recent years: (taken from email earlier in 2007)
· Test Scores on nationally normed tests are 11 Percentile Points lower in 2006 than in 1990 (a 22% decrease)
· College Remediation Rate is 51.6% (46.6% in 1995); National Average is 33%
· Only Nine States Scored Lower Than Arkansas in 8th Grade Math on NAEP Test
· Only 28% of AR students pass test on AP courses, while 59.4% pass nationwide
· Fordham Foundation Gives Arkansas an F on Standards
· The National Report Card on Higher Ed. Gave Arkansas a D+ In High School Preparation for College. They graded states in six areas. Arkansas received a D+, a F, three C's and one incomplete. (That averages out a D)
· Educational Reforms Have Cost $1.4 BILLION which equals a 3% sales tax in Arkansas.

For rest of this article see this link: http://www.wpaag.org/Ed%20-%20Arkansas%20Steadily%20Falling%20Behind%20on%20NAEP.htm or click Thursday below; or if sent here by a link, just scroll down.