‘This Nonsense Has Got to End, and It Is’

Tuesday’s limited release of the statewide STAR (Stanford 9) test scores was historic--the first time in the history of California that we have assessed student skills and provided results in both individual and comparable fashion. At this point we are still pursuing legal options to have all the scores--including those for limited-English-speaking (LEP) students--officially reported.

This test, more than anything, focuses attention on the issue of accountability. That is, what are schools doing--or not doing--to ensure that kids are mastering basic academic skills?

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, these scores are very disappointing. Of the 43 grade [and subject] levels reported, only 12 chart scores above the national average [50th percentile]. That means more than two-thirds of grade-level scores are below the national average.

This is the kind of information that will bring accountability--accountability that has been fought against by educrats afraid of being held responsible for failing our kids. It’s the kind of accountability feared by special interests more concerned with their bottom line than a child’s future. And it’s accountability that is anathema to reform obstructionists who paper over the fact that many schools are doing a poor job.

These test scores bypass all the politicking and excuse-making. They do not lie. They lay out for all to see exactly where our schools are now in terms of helping students learn, and they set the tone for the kind of progress every parent ought to expect to see when scores are released for the second STAR test next June.

These scores clearly show that many kids are not prepared in even the most basic of grade-level skills. As such, they further emphasize the tragedy of social promotion--the practice of moving students up grade levels without their having mastered the skills to compete and succeed at that next level.

The lack of a test like this has, in the past, left us unable to more quickly recognize the student declines in reading and math. STAR results will prevent that from happening again, because we will know year to year where we are. Further, it is a vital tool to begin gauging how well our class-size reduction, phonics instruction, teacher training and longer school year reforms are working.

Overall, there is no way we can view these scores as anything but dreadfully disappointing--the byproducts of failed educational fads like whole language, new math and exploratory learning methods that value fun and self-discovery over the learning of basic skills.

This nonsense has got to end, and it is. We are on our way to reshaping a system focused on results and the basics, not on process and politically correct pampering of kids. We are setting higher academic standards, which means the test, which will be aligned to these standards, will be even more difficult next year.

We are working to lengthen the school year, equip all kids with the textbooks, library stocks and educational technology resources they need to study and learn. We are improving the way we train and support our teachers. And we have already reintroduced phonics and spelling back into our curriculum.

These targeted investments are the things that can and will make a difference. Thankfully, we finally have a diagnostic tool to measure the improved student performance.