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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: goldworldnet who wrote (397138)	4/23/2003 5:51:59 PM
From: goldworldnet	Respond to of 769670

This is a good example of educators' pathetically low expectations of students. Saul Cohen and Linda Kelly should be fired immediately. Raising passing grade to 65 will hit hardest on racial minorities By DAVID MCKAY WILSON AND DWIGHT WORLEY THE JOURNAL NEWS thejournalnews.com New York's ambitious drive to phase in some of the nation's toughest high-school graduation requirements has come to a crossroads as state educators decide whether to revise a policy that raises passing grades in 2004 from 55 to 65 for three of five Regents exams needed for a diploma. The policy is crucial for the state's minorities, who comprise about two-thirds of the students who scored between 55 and 64 on the state's 2002 English Regents exam. State Education Commissioner Richard Mills believes the students can pass at the higher grade, noting that achievement has been rising during the past few years. Under present policy, by 2005, students will have to pass all five subjects at 65. "Schools have proved they can do it with strong leadership, well-prepared teachers, and extra help for students who need it," he said. But Regent Saul Cohen of New Rochelle said the Board of Regents, which sets education policy for the state, is wary of mandating the 65 passing grade because it could set up thousands of students for failure. The Regents are awaiting more data for the 2003 tests before making a decision later this year. "I am indeed concerned," said Cohen, who would also like the state to consider averaging student scores on their five Regents, so that a student who passes four tests at 70 and gets a 50 on the fifth test could still graduate because he averaged 66 on the five tests. "As far as I'm concerned, we should give the student the diploma," he said. Under state policy, passing grades for the English, U.S. History and Global Studies tests will rise to 65 in 2004, starting with the class of 2004, who are juniors this year. In 2005, the passing grade will rise to 65 in Math and science, too. A look at 2002 results from the English Regents test, taken by 158,000 students who entered ninth grade in 1998, shows the challenge the state's schools and students face if the passing grade is raised next year. Statewide data show that about 10 percent of students scored between 55 and 64 on the English exam. Among racial and ethnic groups, 18 percent of blacks, 17 percent of Hispanics, 10 percent of Asians and 6 percent of whites, scored in that range. The proportions were lower locally: Eight percent of all groups in Westchester and 5 percent in Putnam scored between 55 and 64. Yonkers had the biggest group scoring in that range. One in four Yonkers blacks scored between 55 and 64 while another one in four failed the test, scoring below 55. One in five Hispanics scored between 55 and 64, while 29 percent scored below 55. At Woodlands High School in Greenburgh, 16 percent scored between 55 and 64, while 12 percent, or 79 students, did so in New Rochelle. Educators such as New Rochelle Superintendent Linda Kelly say the state should keep the 55 passing grade for a few more years. She said colleges and employers can take that into consideration when they look at a graduate's transcript. She said that test scores also correlate with a student's socio-economic background, with low-income students more likely to fail the tests. Seventy percent of Yonkers students who scored between 55 and 64 were considered economically disadvantaged, as were 38 percent of those in New Rochelle. "It has to do with the economic resources available to these children," said Kelly. "My view is that the 55 should be kept a bit longer until we know that all students have the necessary resources to meet the 65. The 55 grade has served them well. They are learning and doing well." Others say it's time to move forward. Just 10 of Mahopac's students — 3 percent of the test-takers — passed with a 55. Mahopac Superintendent Joseph Sabatella said it was time to move the passing grade to 65. "Knowing 55 percent of anything isn't a standard that I'd like to see kept," Sabatella said. "We need 65 to be the minimum." In Yonkers, Superintendent Angelo Petrone said he believes Yonkers students will make the 65 grade if they work harder, study longer, and prepare well for the tests. "We need to continue to raise the bar and make sure we are making a statement," Petrone said. "What we are asking children to achieve should be not difficult to reach." Cohen said the Regents will study the issue this summer. For the past year, he has asked the state to show whether the students who score between 55 and 64 mostly score in the lower range — in the mid-50s, or whether they are close to 64. He said the Regents could compromise and make 60 the passing grade. "We could keep it at 55, look at it again in a few years, or make 60 the cut-off," he said. * * *