The pro-government propagandists at The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper have been working overtime this month – doing their best to shine a flattering light on South Carolina’s colossally failed government-run education system.
Exhibit A? This sunshine and daffodils article from reporter Jamie Self.
“More S.C. public schools and districts received excellent ratings on this year’s report cards than last year, and fewer were rated at risk – moving state education leaders to applaud what they see as widespread improvement in the state’s public schools,” Self reported last week. “On-time graduation rates also rose for the third consecutive year, including for students living in high-poverty areas. Graduation rates for African-American and Hispanic students saw stronger gains than rates for all students, according to the S.C. Department of Education.”
Well glory, glory hallelujah, right? Right?
Um, no. Not even a little bit.
Self’s reporting is based on the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) test – which as we’ve noted previously is nothing but dumbed down, apples-to-oranges “faux accountability.”
In fact when state leaders implement PASS five years ago, they replaced tough standards with weak ones.
“Whereas the older (Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test) standards were among the highest in the nation, the newly proposed PASS standards would rank among the bottom quartile in a recent cross-state comparison of proficiency standards within 27 states,” the nation’s leading testing authority concluded. “Use of the lower standards would result in dramatic increases in the percentages of students meeting standards in South Carolina schools, even with no actual improvement in student performance.”
In other words, they moved the goalposts. Adopted a “fake-it-till-you-make-it” modus operandi.
So … what happens when we compare South Carolina to other states on credible national benchmarks? I.e. apples to apples?
Glad you asked …
According to data released earlier this month, South Carolina fell further behind the rest of the nation on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) – a.k.a. the “Nation’s Report Card.” Meanwhile our SAT scores have stagnated (after six consecutive years of decline) and our graduation rate ranks 48th nationally out of fifty states.
Oh, and things are getting worse … not better for minority students.
The bottom line? South Carolina taxpayers are spending millions of dollars each year on a test that willfully distorts our state’s true academic performance. All so mainstream media reporters at pro-government outlets can regurgitate this “good news.”
Meanwhile your wallet is getting lighter and your kids are getting dumber …
10 comments
PASS is the test to federal standards, so it is apples to apples.
Again, rabid online ranting rather than a review of facts.
PASS is NOT apples to apples. When it was adopted in 2009 as the new STATE report card it was pilloried by testing authorities – including the expert we quoted above.
Of course it was, because, as you stated, PACT was more rigorous.
But, PASS testing is to the fed standards, so it is indeed apples to apples. THAT’S why they switched to PASS.
Now, I’ll agree with you that Fish Wrap is a mouthpeice for the left, but the rest of the blog post is pretty baseless.
Do some real research..
By the way, you didn’t name your expert. Who was it? I just see an unattributed quote.
Quote is from Dr. John Cronin of the Northwest Evaluation Association
Read more at https://www.fitsnews.com/2009/10/12/its-official-sc-pass-test-dumbs-down-standards/
And you don’t think that the fact that his assessment program wasn’t chosen over PASS doesn’t bear on his statements?
As you know by now, this is a fact free zone. Folks deals out the truth as he knows it to be, or as Howard Rich tells it to him; not facts. Facts cannot be trusted. They have an anti-Republican bias.
I don’t give a dang about party crap. I want the education system to work properly.
Well then you are wasting your time here. This site is all about politics, not about Children or the education system. This site is paid to make public schools and public school children look bad. It is part of a national campaign to attack public education.
I agree with you. As I have said many times on this site, whatever it takes to make the public system work properly for our children is what we need to do. But this site is paid by people who want to end public education, not make it work.
By the way I am an independent.
Jan! You nailed it.
sic(k) willie folks is nothing but a bought and paid for voucher pimp for Howie the Voucher Clown.
The REAL big lie is the voucher scam.
All the voucher scam would do is rob from those who need help the most.
Vouchers would not help those who need help the most.
SC Schools have been at the bottom of the list forever……..