Wisconsin Graduation Rate Gap Is Largest in Country

[mr.MUskie]

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Wisconsin-Graduation-Rate-Gap-Is-Largest-in-Country-336391251.html?_osource=Newltr_Station_Hdlines_chi

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows Wisconsin's gap in graduation rates between black and white students is the largest in the country.
The preliminary data released this week shows the gap widened slightly for the 2013-2014 school year. That's the most recent year for which data is available.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the graduation rate for black students held steady at 66.1 percent, while the graduation rate for white students rose to 92.9 percent — widening the gap to more than 26.8 percentage points.
The National Center for Education Statistics is expected to release final graduation rate data in coming months.

[rocket surgeon]

this ought to help a little.  just lower the bar a little and bada bing bada boom-nothing to see here anymore

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/10/24/obama-calls-for-less-standardized-testing-in-schools-addressing-nationwide/?intcmp=hpbt2

[GGGG]

Less standardized testing isn't lowering the bar.  Teaching to test is clearly not a good way to learn.

[rocket surgeon]

Less standardized testing isn't lowering the bar.  Teaching to test is clearly not a good way to learn.

        20-25 hours per year of testing is actually not really that much when you look at the whole picture.  that's 6 tests per quarter.  what other way are they suggesting to gauge the students progress?  i don't like the excuse-my kid just doesn't test well...well, sorry,  then he/she doesn't know the stuff

    i understand there is a lot of material to cover, but don't overwhelm the kids.  the teacher's should try to emphasize what they want the kids to focus on for the tests.  i remember undergrad(i know-different than k-12) the professors would throw all this stuff out there and expect us to guess what was test worthy.  in grad school, they told us what to focus on and what we needed to know for the boards -big difference

[GGGG]

        20-25 hours per year of testing is actually not really that much when you look at the whole picture.  that's 6 tests per quarter.  what other way are they suggesting to gauge the students progress?  i don't like the excuse-my kid just doesn't test well...well, sorry,  then he/she doesn't know the stuff

Actually that isn't true.  Not every facet of knowledge can be tested. 

    i understand there is a lot of material to cover, but don't overwhelm the kids.  the teacher's should try to emphasize what they want the kids to focus on for the tests.  i remember undergrad(i know-different than k-12) the professors would throw all this stuff out there and expect us to guess what was test worthy.  in grad school, they told us what to focus on and what we needed to know for the boards -big difference

Teaching to the test is a terrible way to teach.  It doesn't emphasize critical thinking or creativity, both of which are critical skills to have.  Rote memory is useless in relation.

[rocket surgeon]

Actually that isn't true.  Not every facet of knowledge can be tested. 


Teaching to the test is a terrible way to teach.  It doesn't emphasize critical thinking or creativity, both of which are critical skills to have.  Rote memory is useless in relation.

i agree that teaching to the test ONLY, is a terrible way to teach.  but, as the teacher is teaching, critical thinking and creativity can also be worked in.  it's not a one or the other.  there can be term papers, group discussions, group projects, open forums, study groups.  any of these or a combination can be worked in to some form of extra credit...etc  side quizzes could cover material other than main testing material.  there are many ways to work in "other things"

rote memory does have it's place; there are some areas where you cannot escape using it. good teachers, and i do respect what they do, should be able to incorporate all or some of these methods to some degree or another.  that's what separates the good from the mediocre to the poor ones

[jesmu84]

i agree that teaching to the test ONLY, is a terrible way to teach.  but, as the teacher is teaching, critical thinking and creativity can also be worked in.  it's not a one or the other.  there can be term papers, group discussions, group projects, open forums, study groups.  any of these or a combination can be worked in to some form of extra credit...etc  side quizzes could cover material other than main testing material.  there are many ways to work in "other things"

rote memory does have it's place; there are some areas where you cannot escape using it. good teachers, and i do respect what they do, should be able to incorporate all or some of these methods to some degree or another.  that's what separates the good from the mediocre to the poor ones

Ok. No disagreement. But how do you differentiate between rote memory and everything else when teaching/learning when talking about a way to evaluate individual instructors?

Also, "no child left behind" is one of those 'one size fits all' for education. Sadly, no one cares.

[rocket surgeon]

Ok. No disagreement. But how do you differentiate between rote memory and everything else when teaching/learning when talking about a way to evaluate individual instructors?

Also, "no child left behind" is one of those 'one size fits all' for education. Sadly, no one cares.

well certain areas of study, you just cannot escape the fact that "rote memory" is needed to master the subject.  i do not know how it cannot be?  books on the other hand, need to be understood, not memorized.  but math equations for example.  many areas of science require rote.  teaching the names of the states, countries, oceans, rivers...i do not know how one could not expect rote to be used??  we use rote in many every day activities

teaching isn't a one size fits all or one method fits all-i'm not a teacher in the traditional sense, however, i have done quite a bit of indirect and informal teaching within my profession.  a difference is, i do not test my prospective pupils, rather, the grasp of my material shows directly in their work. 

differentiation?  well, that's for the trained teacher to know and figure out.  not trying to be flippant, but if this is their profession, they should know when to use whatever method they need to in order for the children/young adults to learn.  another thing to understand also is that different kids learn on their own what works for them.  example-some need to take incessant notes, some will record the lectures, some absorb the material hearing it one-time.  i, myself, needed to record many of the lectures-write and re-write my notes from those lectures.  it was the re-writing of the notes the 2nd time that i was able to filter out the garbage and at the same time hear the material again and use rote where needed

i'm really not familiar with how the no child....or how it works

[ChicosBailBonds]

Teaching to the test, bad.  However, you MUST have standardized testing to understand students or schools compared to other students or schools.

Is MPS on par with Sheboygan school district?  Not a chance, and standardized tests show that every time.


What I would like to know is what are the graduation rates of various groups within the SAME school with the SAME teachers \ classes.  The implication by SOME is that this is a racial deal because of opportunity, etc.  If that is the case, then the white kids, Asian kids, Hispanic kids, etc, in the same class or school should be scoring roughly in the same distribution.  Is that the case?

[GGGG]

Teaching to the test, bad.  However, you MUST have standardized testing to understand students or schools compared to other students or schools.

Of course.  I didn't say we should have no standardized testing.

[rocket surgeon]

Teaching to the test, bad.  However, you MUST have standardized testing to understand students or schools compared to other students or schools.

Is MPS on par with Sheboygan school district?  Not a chance, and standardized tests show that every time.


What I would like to know is what are the graduation rates of various groups within the SAME school with the SAME teachers \ classes.  The implication by SOME is that this is a racial deal because of opportunity, etc.  If that is the case, then the white kids, Asian kids, Hispanic kids, etc, in the same class or school should be scoring roughly in the same distribution.  Is that the case?

i'm not going to argue with that as i can see it both ways.  maybe in K-12, it's not good, but i'm drawing off my experiences in college as those are most recent.  undergrad certainly did not teach to the test, but grad school did, especially to the boards.  we also had old tests to study from-perfectly acceptable.

ya wanna hear something weird-some of the teachers/profs would change up the material, the order of the questions, etc, but some didn't-that really wasn't cool in looking back, but at the time, we were many times so overwhelmed, it was a welcome sight