The kids are not all right as their reading scores continues to fall. The New York Times reported:
High school seniors had the worst reading scores since 1992 on a national test, a loss probably related to increases in screen time and the pandemic. Their math scores fell as well. The reading skills of American high school seniors are the worst they have been in three decades, according to new federal testing data, a worrying sign for teenagers as they face an uncertain job market and information landscape challenged by A.I. In math, 12th graders had the lowest performance since 2005. The results, from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, long regarded as the nation’s most reliable, gold-standard exam, showed that about a third of the 12th-graders who were tested last year did not have basic reading skills. It was a sign that, among other skills, they may not be able to determine the purpose of a political speech. In math, nearly half of the test takers scored below the basic level, meaning they may not have mastered skills like using percentages to solve real-world problems. The test scores are the first of their kind to be released since the Covid-19 pandemic upended education. They are yet another sign that adolescents are struggling in the wake of the virus, when schools were closed for months or more. They also arrive at a time when Americans overall are abandoning printed text for screen time and video-dominated social media, which experts have linked to declining academics. The NAEP test results indicate “a stark decline” in performance, said Matthew Soldner, the acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, the arm of the federal Education Department that administers the tests. Only about a third of 12th graders are leaving high school with the reading and math skills necessary for college-level work, he added....
Surprise, surprise.
20 comments:
Are you sure this isn’t a reprint of the last 5 consecutive years reports of Mississippi student reading reports?
"no child left behind" eh?
Yea, the future of America……..
And the collective Mississippi Democrat mindset says screw the metrics and throw money at the problem.
Coming from someone in education... This isn't surprising for a couple of reasons.
1) Cellphones & technology. Students don't read anymore. They get information in short snippets of videos.
2) Covid. The disruption of the educational process for students nationwide (some areas longer than others) will have LONG lasting ramifications.
Not to mention there's a collective dumbing down (or the everyone gets a trophy mentality) in education in many areas around the country. Education is politicized and becoming more subjective. Reading, Writing and Arithmetic should be universal and apolitical.
Its a food dessert around here…
You can sue almost any profession for malpractice except education. Too many students are poorly educated and should be able to sue for educational malpractice
The United States spends more money on education than any country in the world but our schools can teach our kids to read! It’s not a lack of money poor bad management
When I was in schools they use to blame arcades. Truth is it’s bad teachers
It’s educational malpractice!
Some school districts are a fraud and a joke! My granddaughter passed the required reading test going to the 4th grade. She can handle an iPhone but reads and comprehends on the head start level!
The misinformation of this subject is astounding....even the "someone coming from education" has it all wrong, because he/she is programmed to spout the company line. I've worked within public school systems for 30 years. Yes, the "dumbing down" is happening - but it's due to "parents" who want to play house and pretend they have a family not setting any expectations on their children. They just want them to be occupied (i.e., entertained) and "happy" until they soon realize their offspring isn't developing properly, so they become incahoots with the school system to say it's a disability or a bad teacher. The push to get students on IEP is almost pervasively complete, because it doubles the funding they get for that child....which also informs that child they can't control themselves because they are sick (with ADHD or Autism) which is a lie to extort more tax dollars for that school.
Caveat emptor
Yeah, schools are supposed to teach children to read and do math but it is the parents who are failing their kids. If your kid can't read or do math at age-appropriate level, then you are failing as a parent. Parents need to reduce their screen time and spend it with their kids.
@7:16 You are correct. If you want your kids to read, you have to read to your kids. Every day. From a very young age. If you want your kids to be able to do math, you have to do math with your kids (counting games, telling time, counting coins/blocks/etc.). Every day. From a very young age. Teachers present the information, but parents teach their children how to learn. Every day. From a very young age. All of my children did well in school - even when they had terrible teachers (a few were atrocious!) - because we took responsibility and made sure that our children knew how to learn and were doing their part. If you want to know who is responsible for your child not learning, look in the mirror and see the irresponsible parent looking back you.
For all the reasons above and more. John Taylor Gatto, "The Underground History of American Education"
Is this just measuring public schools?
I understand that MSU no longer requires passing of the English Propensity Test. We had to take and pass or take the bonehead English course our senior year. Boomer
why would kids read when it doesnt gice them the same gratifying stimulation as they do from short video clips?
@6:44 When I was in school they blamed games like Doom and Marilyn Manson. Reality is that its caused disruptive students from demographics that dont value education. Basicaly, Ghettos and Trailer parks. Schools should be segregated by the 5th grade. Not by race, but by ability and dedication. The achievers get access to high quality education that matches their cognitive abilities. Low achievers get tought a trade and how to balance a checkbook. Society will benefit from the contributions of both demographics. Problem is that few, if any, conpanies will benefit from this short term. So you wont see any “thinktanks” paying for ads on this blog with that solution. Instead they will lobby for tax dollars ro fund private schools which will simply get ruined by the same disruption dichotomy that ruined public schools!
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