Why aren’t reading scores higher? This is the question asked in the NY Times article regarding the latest report on declining scores on standardized reading test given to high school students. I think that much of this study reflects a trend toward product and not process.
Today’s high school students are taking seemingly tougher courses and earning better grades, but their reading skills are not improving, according to the results of a national assessment released here today that cited grade inflation as a possible explanation.
I’m not totally convinced that grade inflation is a viable reason for the discrepancy between the test scores and the grades of the students. I think that a more realistic explanation would include the idea that the emphasis the reading portions of these test fail to give an accurate account of the progress of the students. The students are being engaged in more difficult classes, perhaps, requiring less pleasure reading which encourages reading fluency and comprehension practice.
Darvin M. Winick, chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the exams, said in a prepared statement that the findings “provide little comfort,” and “suggest that we need to know much more about the level of rigor associated with the courses that high school students are taking,”
The study presents an interesting dynamic with regards to the literacy rates among high school students. This report reflects a negative trend toward students being unable to extract basic information from a train schedule. This information makes me question the contributing factors to this decline in abilities. How can our students receive higher grades on tougher classes without the ability to perform the most basic skills?
The share of students lacking even basic high school reading skills — meaning they could not, for example, extract data about train fares at different times of day from a brochure — rose to 27 from 20 percent in 1992. The share of those proficient in reading dropped to 35 from 40 percent in 1992.
This study raises interesting questions about the emphasis put on high school students to perform. How can we fail our students on practical matters, while encouraging them to work harder on subjects that are more demanding? Are the students unable to build their basic skills because of the emphasis put on more complex subjects. The perspective offered by this article is very unexpected. I think that this introduces another facet to an already complicated subject of students falling through the cracks of the real world.
Grades Rise as Reading Skills Drop in H.S. Study
April 5, 2007 at 12:55 am |
I’ve read articles by this writer for my blog as well and I really like the problems she presents. I remember being in high school thinking that some of the stuff we were learning was really hard and then when test time came I passed it no problem. I think that’s what’s going on here. Student’s can not get anything out of the reading and still pass as long as they know how to take the tests. I knew kids who hated english and everything that goes along with it. But they can easily pass the class no problem. It’s sad really. Kids spend 12 years trying to get a piece of paper that means nothing if they don’t learn anything anyways. The worst part is, its not all their fault.
I think a big reason for some kids taking hard classes is pressure from parents. It doesn’t mean they understand anything, but if they get a good grade in a harder class they can brag about it. Gaining self-confidence is part of what high school’s all about but if it means kids learning less just to impress others then where’s the education part?
April 14, 2007 at 1:17 am |
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April 15, 2007 at 3:30 pm |
Hello Ann,
I found your post and the article which you found really interesting. I have been concentrating on No Child Left Behind as well as the effects of high-stakes standardized testing. Similar to your opinions of this article, many are quick to label children incapable of performing on these tests which seems unfathomable because they are taking such high level courses where they are more challenged. But the truth is after much of my exploring is that as a result of so many teachers having to instruct for a test students are becoming more academically crippled because time is being used in disadvantageous ways. For example, time has to be set aside to instruct for a test taking time away from students learning to be meta-cognitive thinkers and vice versa so students are not as likely to perform as well on a test. In addition, classes have once again become so rigid, which is amusing when you think about how so many instructors that can in terms of societal views only be called progressive, try to remove themselves from this type of curriculum. It is truly a vicious cycle in which little by little teachers are forced to remove ways which get students to enjoy English in order to pass one test which scores can be explained in a variety of ways i.e. they were sick, tired, having a bad day or so on. I agree with you when you, ask how can we blame students when we are robbing them of their basic skills? The irony is amusing.
April 16, 2007 at 1:25 pm |
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