NW kids are smarter than yours. Neener-neener-neener!

[bull]

SAT scores are in and Washington scored #1, Oregon #2. Unfortunately, the national average score dropped 7 points, the biggest drop in 31 yrs. But they're blaming that on a new SAT testing format. Whatever. You want fries with that?

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_082906_edu_sat_scores_ore.4a2a1970.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-08-29-sat-scores_x.htm

[dodge freak]

What happen to the "no child left behind" act ? Way to go USA

[Orange_Crush]

SAT scores are in and Washington scored #1, Oregon #2. Unfortunately, the national average score dropped 7 points, the biggest drop in 31 yrs. But they're blaming that on a new SAT testing format. Whatever. You want fries with that?

http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_082906_edu_sat_scores_ore.4a2a1970.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-08-29-sat-scores_x.htm

Whatever...I've always said that the SAT is the most ridiculously asinine method of testing someone's scholastic achievement (and before anyone makes any assumptions, I got a 1420 on mine). 

The best colleges in the country put little or no emphasis on your SAT scores choosing instead to focus on your transcripts, extracurricular activities, and community service.   The educational system has been getting incrementally better in the US and yet SAT scores have been dropping...how can you explain that?

I was having a conversation with an admissions counselor at Davidson College (an excellent and very diffcult to enter institution)  who told me, point-blank, that the only time they actually look at an SAT score is if the student applying is a borderline case.

[41husk]

No child left behind is an impossible theory.  A political football that all are afraid to fumble.  Don't even get me started on NCLB

[PocketThunder]

No child left behind is an impossible theory.  A political football that all are afraid to fumble.  Don't even get me started on NCLB

NCLB...... ready..... set.....go!

[triple_green]

We have a big problem waiting to hit us in WA state. We give our 10th graders an assessment test called the WASL. Dept of Education has decided that unless HS Seniors can pass 2 out of the 3 parts of the WASL, they cannot graduate. Currently more than half any given class cannot meet this criterion. We'll see what happens in the future if half the Seniors won't graduate. Sounds like train wreck to me.

3X

[TK73]

Seems to me I recently read that WA state has one of the highest HS drop out rates in the country... "poor" (as in academically) students drop out, don't take SAT, average scores go up for the State...

This is a variant of a simple example given in Statistics class where the "outcome" appears to be one thing while the contributing factors would indicate another.

[dodge freak]

We have a big problem waiting to hit us in WA state. We give our 10th graders an assessment test called the WASL. Dept of Education has decided that unless HS Seniors can pass 2 out of the 3 parts of the WASL, they cannot graduate. Currently more than half any given class cannot meet this criterion. We'll see what happens in the future if half the Seniors won't graduate. Sounds like train wreck to me.

3X

When I went to school the teacher had someting called a "bell curve" graph when everybody did bad on a test. You take all the scores and make a graph everybody that fells in the Bell part passed. Someting they might do to let the kids graduate.

[Ponch ®]

standardized tests in general arent necesarily a good way to test knowledge/abilities, because of all the ways one can prepare for them.

[Charger_Fan]

Seems to me I recently read that WA state has one of the highest HS drop out rates in the country... "poor" (as in academically) students drop out, don't take SAT, average scores go up for the State...

This is a variant of a simple example given in Statistics class where the "outcome" appears to be one thing while the contributing factors would indicate another.

Same way they measure unemployment rates.

[bull]

You guys are so serious. I'm just playin' with ya.

[dodge freak]

This is serious stuff, with these notebook computers and more educated parents these kids today should be way smarter than 10 years ago but Nooo its not happening. I have seen that these kids today don't know how to add without a calculator, don't know the Bill of Rights and other dumb stuff that grade school kids used to all know. These kids today are going to be the grown ups of tomorrow, I think things are bad today but wait we might have seen nothing yet.

[TK73]

Seems to me I recently read that WA state has one of the highest HS drop out rates in the country... "poor" (as in academically) students drop out, don't take SAT, average scores go up for the State...

This is a variant of a simple example given in Statistics class where the "outcome" appears to be one thing while the contributing factors would indicate another.

Same way they measure unemployment rates.

Yep, if an unemployed person does not sign up for, or has exhausted UI, they are not "counted".

TK - Unemployment Insurance Adjudicator, State of WA.   

[Vainglory, Esq.]

This is serious stuff, with these notebook computers and more educated parents these kids today should be way smarter than 10 years ago but Nooo its not happening. I have seen that these kids today don't know how to add without a calculator, don't know the Bill of Rights and other dumb stuff that grade school kids used to all know. These kids today are going to be the grown ups of tomorrow, I think things are bad today but wait we might have seen nothing yet.

This is really interesting.  I dabbled in the classics in college, and one of the best parts was learning about how ancient societies went from verbal cultures to literate ones.  Their minds and thought processes totally changed - people stopped memorizing things.  Think about it; who now can sing the entire Iliad and Odyssey in verse straight from memory?  The answer is no one needs to, because we wrote them down.  The development of the alphabet was very much one of the most important milestones in all of human history, and if you think about it, the digitization of everything we do now might just be another one.  Pretty soon, we might be going from a written culture to a digital one.  Who needs to remember the Bill of Rights or even write it down when we can pull it up on google in 2 seconds?  Who needs to know how to do advanced math when we can get a computer to do it for us in a fraction of a second, and oftentimes it's the computer that figured out the process behind the math in the first place.  I don't know that it's a bad thing.

[Old Moparz]

This is really interesting.  I dabbled in the classics in college, and one of the best parts was learning about how ancient societies went from verbal cultures to literate ones.  Their minds and thought processes totally changed - people stopped memorizing things.  Think about it; who now can sing the entire Iliad and Odyssey in verse straight from memory?  The answer is no one needs to, because we wrote them down.  The development of the alphabet was very much one of the most important milestones in all of human history, and if you think about it, the digitization of everything we do now might just be another one.  Pretty soon, we might be going from a written culture to a digital one.  Who needs to remember the Bill of Rights or even write it down when we can pull it up on google in 2 seconds?  Who needs to know how to do advanced math when we can get a computer to do it for us in a fraction of a second, and oftentimes it's the computer that figured out the process behind the math in the first place.  I don't know that it's a bad thing.

That's a good point. I find myself doing the same thing at times, especially at work when I'm on the computer all day. (Sitework estimating) I don't even give much thought to how much earth needs to be moved on a jobsite when the computer calculates 2 days worth of work in a flash. Look at the spell checker, we don't even need to remember how to spell either. (Of course some don't remember there's a spell checker.) The only time this doesn't make sense, is when it comes to basics that everyone should know, like making change at the register. If there isn't a picture of what you ordered on the keys, or if the cord was unplugged, it'll take 20 minutes, 2 assistant managers, 1 district manager, & a call to Ronald to get it.   

[dodge freak]

Well then whats the point of still having 12 years of public school anymore if everybody can just ask google or some other site what they need to know?

[Silver R/T]

Its good to live in WA

[derailed]

What happen to the "no child left behind" act ? Way to go USA

I thought that was no millionaire left behind, oops wrong topic

[bull]

Well then whats the point of still having 12 years of public school anymore if everybody can just ask google or some other site what they need to know?

So you don't wander around like a retard picking your nose and playing with your belly-button lint when the computer goes down.

[TK73]

Its good to live in WA

Have you ever posted anything with content on this board?

con‧tent1  /ˈkɒntɛnt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kon-tent] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1.   Usually, contents.
a.   something that is contained: the contents of a box.
b.   the subjects or topics covered in a book or document.
c.   the chapters or other formal divisions of a book or document: a table of contents.
2.   something that is to be expressed through some medium, as speech, writing, or any of various arts: a poetic form adequate to a poetic content.
3.   significance or profundity; meaning: a clever play that lacks content.
4.   substantive information or creative material viewed in contrast to its actual or potential manner of presentation: publishers, record companies, and other content providers; a flashy Web site, but without much content.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=content&x=0&y=0


[ Authors disclaimer;  I have tried to ignore the incredible amount of useless S#!T posted by the above quoted member, but CAN NOT STAND it anymore.  Please excuse my intolerance, as I have been a member who has stirred up s#!t, posted irrelevant absurdities and even attempted to "rack up" posts to increase my standing (old-board, ranked in the top 10). I may begin ghosting said member to simply post "ditto" or the "I agree" dude just for the hell of it... ]

[TK73]

Its good to live in WA

ditto       

[Vainglory, Esq.]

Its good to live in WA

Have you ever posted anything with content on this board?

con‧tent1  /ˈkɒntɛnt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kon-tent] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1.   Usually, contents.
a.   something that is contained: the contents of a box.
b.   the subjects or topics covered in a book or document.
c.   the chapters or other formal divisions of a book or document: a table of contents.
2.   something that is to be expressed through some medium, as speech, writing, or any of various arts: a poetic form adequate to a poetic content.
3.   significance or profundity; meaning: a clever play that lacks content.
4.   substantive information or creative material viewed in contrast to its actual or potential manner of presentation: publishers, record companies, and other content providers; a flashy Web site, but without much content.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=content&x=0&y=0


[ Authors disclaimer;  I have tried to ignore the incredible amount of useless S#!T posted by the above quoted member, but CAN NOT STAND it anymore.  Please excuse my intolerance, as I have been a member who has stirred up s#!t, posted irrelevant absurdities and even attempted to "rack up" posts to increase my standing (old-board, ranked in the top 10). I may begin ghosting said member to simply post "ditto" or the "I agree" dude just for the hell of it... ]

ditto. 

[8WHEELER]

Its good to live in WA      oh was that said?

Dan

[Lightning]

We have a big problem waiting to hit us in WA state. We give our 10th graders an assessment test called the WASL. Dept of Education has decided that unless HS Seniors can pass 2 out of the 3 parts of the WASL, they cannot graduate. Currently more than half any given class cannot meet this criterion. We'll see what happens in the future if half the Seniors won't graduate. Sounds like train wreck to me.

3X

FL's been doing that for a little while now, my class (I graduated in 2003) was the first one that applied to. (our test was called the FCAT....evil test....)