BS.Ranch

Howdy, This Here is the BS-Ranch, The Ranch looks after a small amount of land located in the Inland Empire, but we also take notice to Things that are going on in the Owens Valley. We Welcome to the Ranch Pasture, Barns, and Corrals! But, if your not minding your feet you will have a Smelly Mess to clean off your boots when you leave.. Have a good time I hope you enjoy Da' BS.Ranch!

Friday, November 03, 2006

Graduation Rate Not All it Appears

Graduation Rate Not All it Appears!
BS Ranch Perspective:
Information taken from the San Bernardino County Sun News, You also have to remember that the information that is gathered here is just on San Bernardino Unified Schools. They Show that the Drop Out Rate has dropped, However the SAT Scores since 2000 have dropped almost 60 points from what they were averaging in 1999-2000 School year, so in a mere Six years we have more students staying in School but more students mean lower SAT's. Sorry to say. The following is the San Bernardino Sun News Article of 102606. to see what I am talking about.
BS Ranch

Graduation rate not all it appears
Charlotte Hsu, Staff Writer
Article Launched:10/23/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT



Click photo to enlarge
  • «
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • »

Forty-two.

That number - the graduation rate in San Bernardino as calculated by a national study - has come into the limelight as eight candidates compete for four seats on the city school board in the Nov. 7 election.

Challengers point to it as a sign that San Bernardino City Unified School District is performing poorly, with two candidates using the figure in their opening statements at a forum earlier this month.

Incumbents shun the number, noting that a different method of calculating graduation rates puts San Bernardino's percentage close to 76.

Regardless of which figure is more accurate, experts say a number alone means little and that trends and comparisons to similar districts - not a "42" without context - are what matter.

"People are using the kind of information that advances their particular agenda. All of the numbers are right," said Jim Hill, a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Curriculum at Cal State San Bernardino. "It's just like, `OK, what do we want to focus on?"'

Marcus Winters, who co-authored the Manhattan Institute study that produced the 42 percent statistic for San Bernardino, said researchers did not calculate San Bernardino's graduation rates in past years, so they can't look at trends.

But they are able to make comparisons. By using the same formula to find rates at the 100 largest urban U.S. school districts, the study determined San Bernardino City Unified's graduation percentage was the lowest.

So the outlook appears grim. Right? Not quite.

A closer look reveals that since the 1991-92 school year, the proportion of high schoolers in the district who drop out each year has fallen from 12 percent to about 6 percent. Those numbers were determined using National Center for Education criteria that track enrollment.

Figures pertaining to student proficiency in math and English/language arts tell a similar story. With more than 55,000 students, San Bernardino compares poorly with other large districts with similar percentages of English-language learners and minorities. It ranks below neighboring Fontana and Rialto.

But proficiency in both subjects, measured by student scores on standardized tests, is at least improving - rising by eight or more points between 2002 and 2005.

Joan Herman, co-director of the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing, headquartered at UCLA, said when looking to see how urban schools measure up to those in other areas, it's important to remember kids in inner cities face temptation - drugs, gangs - that children might not find in suburbia.

"As an extreme example, saying in San Bernardino the kids are not performing as well as Beverly Hills kids is an unfair comparison," she said.

Hill said he believes that as an urban district, San Bernardino is not doing badly.

The average senior's SAT score in 2004-05 in Fontana was 16 points higher than in San Bernardino. But 34 percent of 12th-graders in San Bernardino took the test, while just 26 percent took it in Fontana.

San Bernardino's lower score could reflect its inclusiveness.

Hill said people who reminisce about the high quality of education in decades past often forget that 50 years ago, many youngsters did not enroll in high school.

"In 1950, huge numbers of people didn't make it past seventh grade. Your ninth-grade class was probably academically stronger than it was today," he said.

But he added, "Is it better to have more kids in school? I would think we'd want that. Does that perhaps pull down the average a little bit? It might, yes."

School-board challengers say they remember a time when San Bernardino consistently graduated students of high academic standing.

Candidate Joseph Turner said he believes the district was better a decade ago - around the time three of the incumbents took their seats on the board - than today.

Paul Shirk, the district's assistant superintendent for research, said it's difficult to tell whether schools are better today than they were in 1996. In the late 1990s, California adopted a new set of standardized exams to determine student achievement.

"Those old tests had different questions and different standards," Shirk said.

"What we expect (kids) to know today, there's no comparison," he added.

Hill noted that even from year to year, questions on state tests vary, making the exams less than standard.

And although data on schools is made public in abundance, many measures of success defy numerical definition, Herman and Hill both said.

Herman said districts that harp on test scores can end up with dull curricula that bore children.

Figures can't tell a parent how well their student is learning the value of community service or civic affairs, Hill said.

"Are they learning those things?" Hill said. "I'd want that to be happening. I think a person who's not a parent would want that as well. I mean, these are the kids who when they grow up are going to pay money in Social Security that the rest of us would be living off of."

Posted by BSRanch at 05:41
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

No comments:

Post a Comment

Newer Post Older Post Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

BS.Ranch

BS.Ranch
"Sign Here Press Hard Three Copies!"

Subscribe To BSR

Posts
Atom
Posts
Comments
Atom
Comments

Blog Archive

  • ►  2015 (1)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2014 (1)
    • ►  July (1)
  • ►  2013 (28)
    • ►  December (3)
    • ►  November (4)
    • ►  October (6)
    • ►  August (6)
    • ►  June (5)
    • ►  April (2)
    • ►  March (1)
    • ►  February (1)
  • ►  2012 (35)
    • ►  November (2)
    • ►  June (1)
    • ►  April (3)
    • ►  March (8)
    • ►  February (19)
    • ►  January (2)
  • ►  2011 (97)
    • ►  December (18)
    • ►  November (3)
    • ►  October (3)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  August (17)
    • ►  July (10)
    • ►  June (10)
    • ►  April (4)
    • ►  March (14)
    • ►  February (2)
    • ►  January (15)
  • ►  2010 (63)
    • ►  December (25)
    • ►  November (21)
    • ►  October (3)
    • ►  September (3)
    • ►  August (2)
    • ►  July (4)
    • ►  June (1)
    • ►  March (2)
    • ►  February (1)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2009 (34)
    • ►  December (2)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  July (2)
    • ►  June (4)
    • ►  May (4)
    • ►  April (9)
    • ►  March (3)
    • ►  February (1)
    • ►  January (8)
  • ►  2008 (63)
    • ►  December (2)
    • ►  September (5)
    • ►  June (6)
    • ►  April (4)
    • ►  March (19)
    • ►  February (1)
    • ►  January (26)
  • ►  2007 (249)
    • ►  December (6)
    • ►  November (6)
    • ►  October (21)
    • ►  September (20)
    • ►  August (16)
    • ►  July (40)
    • ►  June (60)
    • ►  May (27)
    • ►  April (27)
    • ►  March (11)
    • ►  February (5)
    • ►  January (10)
  • ▼  2006 (578)
    • ►  December (30)
    • ▼  November (39)
      • Federal Cime study to include San Bernardino Count...
      • Iraq--An Open Letter to President Bush (Townhall.c...
      • Democrats want America To Fail (110306) Late post ...
      • Volunteers Start Watch Programs (Press Entperprise...
      • Ventana a vision for Fontana's Future (SB Sun 1127...
      • Further 210 Extention to be done in '07 (Daily Bul...
      • '06 Victor Eyes Seat as Rialto Mayor (SB Sun 112206).
      • Watchdogs Look to revise domain law. (Daily Bullet...
      • Transient Burglar Arrested by Police (Daily Bullet...
      • San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Actions...
      • Elusive Cat Burger Hits At least 10 Rialto Homes (...
      • Woman Wanted for 10+ Burglaries in Rialto Area (Fo...
      • CHP Officer Arrested, Suspected of DUI..(Press-Ent...
      • Police Enlist 8-Ton ally to Deal With Dangerous Su...
      • Seven arrested at Fontana checkpoint (Daily Bullet...
      • Rialto Keeps its Options Open (SB Sun 112006) City...
      • Rialto Police Sweep High-Crime Areas (SB Sun111920...
      • I.E. Home Prices Buck Trend! (SB Sun 112106) Sales...
      • Rialto Council to Vote on Raises (Daily Bulletin 1...
      • West Cars Will Hit the Road in Fontana!!
      • DNA Links Oiler to Two Fires!! Authorities tie Esp...
      • Deborah Robertson Wins Big Announces Run for Rialt...
      • Bush Says U.S. Pullout Would Cause Radicals to Use...
      • Rumsfeld had to pay for the Failed Iraq War Policy
      • Retail, Residental Project to be presented to Rial...
      • Michael Moore, Oliver Stone's help Sought by Terro...
      • Earps, Clantons Share County Ties. (SB Sun 11142006)
      • Earps, Clantons Share County Ties. San Bernardino ...
      • Hospitals Lobbying for Illegal alien Patients...Ho...
      • New Council Could Pressure Mayor (Press Enterprise...
      • Booze, The Police and Me, Seven clinic minded volu...
      • God Bless America
      • Activists accused of violating campaign laws (dail...
      • Saddam to HANG for SLAUGHTER of SHIITES!!! (AP Wir...
      • Inland Empire Growth Explored (Highland Community ...
      • Dad Turns in Sons in Shooting
      • Graduation Rate Not All it Appears
      • President Bush Signs Bill to Save Santa Rosa Deer ...
      • Governor's Lead Grows (Sac Bee 110106) His 16 poin...
    • ►  October (60)
    • ►  September (69)
    • ►  August (113)
    • ►  July (111)
    • ►  June (46)
    • ►  May (110)

Links

  • Dream Horse
  • Google News
  • Horse Clicks
  • Horse.com
  • Jeffers Equine
  • Rialto Police Department
Powered By Blogger

Check Out My Followers

Contributors

  • BSRanch
  • Buck
Awesome Inc. theme. Powered by Blogger.