According to Harvard University there is Graduation Rate crisis. The Minority groups are being left behind and graduating rates are lower now that in prior years. in 2001 only 50% of African American students graduated High School and 53% of Hispanic students graduated. If we compare to their White counterparts; which 74.9 % of white students graduated high School is considered a great difference. Racial disparities are not the only issue, children with disabilities also have a low graduating rate.
Compare back where the national graduation rate for the class of 1998 was 71%. For white students the rate was 78%, while it was 56% for African-American students and 54% for Latino students.
In my state of Florida we have The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).This is a high-stakes test that public school students must pass to be eligible for graduation from high school. According to a study done in Duval County Fl; students coming from poorer, less educated, or higher mobility households are less likely to meet graduation requirements than their higher socioeconomic, White, suburban counterparts. African American students and students from the lowest income households are also the most likely to encounter a negative graduation effect "because the passing score on the FCAT rises each year".
Graduation rates are not only lower for the low income; poorer students; The higher socioeconomic students rates are lower than past years. There are a lot more graduating requirements and many times parents feel that children do not learn, and teacher are teaching for the test alone. Many other things are put to side and the students are being trained just to pass the FCAT.
Orfield, G., Losen, D., Wald, J., & Swanson, C., (2004). Losing Our Future: How Minority Youth are Being Left Behind by the Graduation Rate Crisis, Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University. Contributors: Advocates for Children of New York, The Civil Society Institute.
Plenty of Children Left Behind: High-Stakes Testing and Graduation Rates in Duval County, Florida//Educational Policy November 2007 21: 695-716, first published on April 24, 2007
Hi, Belkys-
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the achievement gap persists and, despite our many reforms, we have been unable to come up with a viable and sustainable solution to the disparities that exist amongst students. It certainly doesn’t help that assessments like the FCAT have gone from being tools that allowed teachers to measure student progress, or lack of, and act accordingly to tools that instill fear in students and teachers. The student video created by Tea'a Taylor (Strauss, 2012) illustrates the nuisance high-stakes testing is for all students, even those that are considered high achieving. These unrealistic assessments put an extraordinary amount of pressure on students, often to meet an unattainable standard. The FCAT, and other tests like it, should remind us that a student’s performance on a day-today basis over time is a better indicator than a single test.
Strauss, V. (2012). Student video: How high-stakes tests affect kids [Blog post]. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/student-video-how-high-stakes-tests-affect-kids/2012/05/09/gIQAsKt6DU_blog.html
HI Belkys-
DeleteHigh stakes testing has really become more of a hindrance than a motivational tool. When I hear politicians speak about NCLB or Race to the Top I shake my head in sheer disappointment because they have no idea how these reforms are negatively affecting students and teachers. The relationship between students and teachers has taken a drastic change due to these reforms as well. Teachers no longer have the time to fully invest in building trusting relationships with their students as they had in the past. From the first day of school to the last day of school it is all business. Students need a learning environment that is full of tension. Teaching to the test is an indirect and direct way of causing anxiety in children, which is why so many students are acting out more so than when I was a kid. Unfortunately, America has become a country that no longer wants to make an effort in shaping and managing students. So, schools begin complaining about disruptive behavior from students; classroom management has taken a backseat over the years, and before you know it the "disruptive" students are prescribed medication and labeled with ADHD, depression, mood disorder, ODD and the list goes on. Students are sitting in class aesthetic and zoned out. No matter how you slice the pie these kids need educators who know how to keep their cool under pressure, delegate responsibility, and teach their students the necessary content and skills needed to pass these high stakes tests.