HOWEVER, there is some reasoning to it. It gets very technical, so rather than coming off sounding discriminatory, allow me to explain a few other things you may not know about Wicomico County and especially the City of Salisbury.
Did you know that around 52% of those Students going Public School in Wicomico County qualify for free or reduced lunches. Because so many local businesses have closed down, the numbers went from the 20% area to 35% and now 52%.
More than HALF of the Students are economically disadvantaged. You are not seeing this dramatic trend elsewhere throughout the State and that includes Worcester County. Worcester County receives around $4,000.00 more state funding per student than Wicomico County.
The MSA Tests haven't been around that long and that's something everyone needs to understand. The state spends millions of dollars for these tests, yet every few years they go from one test to another one, leaving no real room for a trend record. Not that long ago they had something, (I believe) called the MSPAP Test. Believe it or not, the state is already talking about moving away from the MSA Test and going to yet another new test.
By 2014 the state expects ALL Students to be "proficient" on test scores.
One thing to also keep in mind in reference to these MSA Test Scores is that Wicomico County has a large amount of Special Ed and Physically Disabled Students in their Schools. When the formal test scores do come out, this will be an area everyone will need to keep in mind. In fact, because of this, that is more than likely one of the biggest reasons why Wicomico County allegedly failed.
We'll ee what happens when they release the MSA Test Results this week.
14 comments:
The results you want to see are the AYP scores. Adequate Yearly Progress, very dismal and speaks volumes for the leadership of the Wicomico County Public Schools.
Leadership?? You CANNOT make a kid who DOESN'T want to go to class or sit still or pay attention, or do homework, or listen to instruction, or stop beating up kids in the hallway, learn ANYTHING. You could have General Patton leading the teachers and it STILL would be chaos. The reason the tests keep getting changed?? It's an unspoken fact and anyone in the system will tell you --- minority students CANNOT pass these tests. Sorry to say THAT, but the facts of the matter are just that. They keep blaming TEACHERS for the failure of these tests...they are not taking them. As soon as they make the test 2-3rd grade level compliant, then they will get the scores they want. Or start holding STUDENTS accountable for THEIR behavior and their scholastic record. Some of these "students" have one, sometimes TWO (!!) aides that stay with themn in class to actually read the material and then WRITE THEIR ANSWER for them!! AND THEY STILL FAIL!! Yeah, I'll be holding my breath for that one. Just like evrything else in our country, it always SOMEONE ELSES FAULT when you don't get what you want, or you fail at anything.
The whole "free lunch" thing is a scam. It is concocted to milk even more, non-food money from the government to pay for executive perks.
And lets not overlook school funding and teacher salary -- both very low compared to elsewhere. It is becoming very difficult to recruit and keep good teachers, and turnover has increased greatly.
Worcester County does not get $4,000 more per pupil from the state. Worcester Schools get most of their money from the county to fund their budget.
Wicomico County fails in two subgroups every year - special ed and ELL. The problem with ELL is that students are expected to test in math the first year they arrive in Wicomico County even though the math test has a lot of reading. Another thing to consider is that many of our students recently come from Haiti where they had to pay to go to school so many of them did not go to school. Currently there are students in middle school who have the equivalent of a second or third grade education in another language and will be expected to test at the middle school level in English this year. So, when you see ELL failing - remember that they are already, in many cases, 4 - 5 years behind in their native language.
Special Education students are considered special ed because there is a discrepancy between their IQ and performance - yet they are expected to test on grade level - seems like a 'no brainer' but if you have to be 'behind' to qualify for special ed why are you expected to be at grade level at the end of the year and considered a 'failure' if you aren't?
Another thing to consider are the group of students who refuse to even pick up a pencil and try, whose parents won't come in when called, who don't come to school regularly, and who actively disrupt the education of the students around them.
If you really want to know how Wicomico County is doing for your child, look at the data that reflects the sub group your child is in - in most cases those sub groups are succeeding - we fail only for certain segments of the population.
I agree with lmclsim and 4:15. However, I was educated in Wicomico County Schools and we had to take and pass the Maryland Functional Tests (the precursors to the MSPAP and HSA's). There were four tests you had to take--Reading, Writing, Math and Civics. Most of the people that I knew and went to school with usually passed all of them (or maybe three of the four) on the first try. I am assuming that teachers generally teach the same way, so I think that for a large part that the lack of student performance has to do with the lack of parental involvement and the apathy of the students. I think that one of the biggest differences also is the fact that there are "new theories" on education. Instead of doing what has worked for us, our parents, and our grandparents, we as educators are supposed to do all these new techniques. If we would go back to basics, perhaps, we could get most kids on grade level.
As for kids having 1 and 2 aides with them reading and writing for them, I think that is a crutch that needs to be eliminated. We need to start making kids do their work instead of giving them an aide to do it for them. I am all for special education. I think that it can help students who have legitimate disabilities get to where they need to be, however, I have seen to many times where the IEP (Individualized Educational Program) and SEC (one step down from an IEP) and 504 plans that are available have been perverted by parents, teachers, and administrators in order to "make the school look good." For example, did you know you can get your kid a plan that the school must legally follow to use a calucator in math? It doesn't matter if the kid is in first grade or a senior in high school. All that has to be proven is that the kid demonstrates a "math disability," whatever that means. Technically, I am horrible at math, but I didn't have one of these plans. I worked very hard and actually made it into the Math Honor Society.
We need to stop coddling kids and make them work and hold them accountable for thier actions and inactions by holding them back if they fail. Instead of social promotion, we need to make sure the students can actually do the work, rather than keep passing kids who can't even read the "Dick and Jane" books.
For what it's worth, I moved to a state where kids have to pass a standardized test called the SOL (Standards of Learning). It is what Virginia uses to determine if the school is reaching AYP. In the county where I teach, many schools didn't reach AYP, due to the Swine Flu epidemic, the number of disadvantaged students, and the number of minority students. This clearly shows that the tests are not fair tests, and simply appeal to the strengths of one group of people. Change needs to be made, and hopefully that it will happen sooner rather than later.
Kim: the current tests (HSA & MSA) are far, far more rigorous than the old functional tests. But they're not rocket science, and I agree with your opinion re: lack of parent involvement and student apathy.
Joe: It's not the state that's demanding all kids reach proficiency, it's the NCLB law, thanks to "W" and crew. Not that Obama's done any better. He's had 2 years now to update the law, and has failed to do so. What he had done (Race to the Top) is even worse than what we had.
Joe,
Thanks for taking a deep look at this data, and looking at the real problem. Many will just look at the aggregate data, and once again condemn the schools. When you look at the broken out data, the problems are readily apparent. When you look at more in school data, it is even more clear!
Please people, visit your schools! See what your children are subjected to on a daily basis. DEMAND that disruptive students who REFUSE to follow any directions are sent to alternative school -- and should they continue to not conform, be expelled.
Expulsion is a one year joke in Wicomico County! Where I came from, expulsion meant you could not return. Further, almost everyone expelled is special ed. We are not 'legally' allowed to expel them, so they get an at home teacher.
I can't make this craziness up! PLEASE come visit, learn about the issues, and help get us back to some form of reasonableness in our schools.
Just too many excuses for why our "government" schools fail. Education expenses i.e.: federal, state and county has to be the single, largest expense of our nation, however, 33% of the "government" educated students across the nation do not obtain a high school diploma,i.e.,a 1/3 failure rate!!! Not one business in this nation "makes it" with that high level of failure. Why do we citizens and taxpayers who are footing this "government" education bill put up with this type of failure????? Well past the time for the "majority" to stand up and turn this horrible mess around.
8:16 Standard reply I think - no indication that you have any understanding of the problem at all. How, exactly, do you propose to 'turn this horrible mess around'? Do you have some magic way to make the parents who are not doing their job suddenly accountable? Some magic way to make the population of students who don't value education to suddenly leave the influence of the streets/gangs behind? Some magic way to make ELL students understand English as soon as they hit the classroom? Some magic way to make Special Ed students suddenly preform at grade level - thereby no longer being special ed? Or are you, as I suspect, just spouting Tea Party talking points with no understanding of the situation at all?
8:16 - that is comparable to saying that an oncologist with a 50% - 60% survival rate should get out of the business because he can't cure all his cancer patients. Or a heart specialist should give up because so many of his patients have heart attacks, or a dentist should quit practicing because he can't get all his patients to floss and brush - you don't even know what you are talking about. There isn't a 'business' comparable to education - teachers can't MAKE children and parents value education - nor, apparently, can they MAKE the public support them as they try to do their jobs. How about you actually go to a school and volunteer so you have some inkling next time you spout your ignorance? Oh, but wait, that would be too hard wouldn't it? Much easier to just run off at the mouth.
The schools are just a reflection of society's ills. All the violence, drugs, prostitution, and the feeling that the government will take care of me attitude comes into the public schools. Disruptive students are sent right back into the classroom, others don't care to learn, and some parents blame the teachers for the parents' lack of ability to properly raise their child. Most of the handcuffs on education come from the federal and state governments.
11:23pm and 6:12am.., most obviously "schooley" types spewing once again, the lame excuses that we always hear. For example, "the parents aren't involved"... Forget about it!, you'll always have a large subset not involved - use workarounds instead of the same worn and torn excuses. Yes, I have been involved at the volunteer level in the classroom and out and at the BOE level. This is not rocket science, there are small, large, government and charter schools that have succeeded in the face of all the excuses listed. Don't try to reinvent the wheel, investigate, learn and apply their methods. What a novel idea....
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