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| Detroit students score record low on national math test |
| 2009-12-09 |
| Detroit Public Schools students posted the worst math results ever recorded in the 40-year history of a prestigious nationwide test, according to scores released today. Sixty-nine percent of fourth-graders and 77 percent of eighth-graders scored below basic skill levels in math on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a standardized test that serves as a nationwide yardstick in measuring student learning. "These numbers are only slightly better than what one would expect by chance as if the kids had never gone to school and simply guessed at the answers," said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Washington-based Council of the Great City Schools, which represents large urban school districts. "These numbers ... are shocking and appalling and should not be allowed to stand." The test results are so concerning to the welfare of Detroit that Casserly flew to the city to brief the media, along with DPS Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb, ahead of their release. Unless the community takes action to fix these urgent academic problems, "this city has no future," he said. "Only a complete overhaul of this school system and how students are taught should be permitted at this point, because the results ... signal a complete failure of the grown-ups who have been in charge of the schools in the past," Casserly said during an interview with The Detroit News. The test scores, Bobb said during a press conference Tuesday morning, further demonstrates the district faces an "an academic emergency" and needs an overhaul of its academic plan. And while Bobb indicated the scores were an indication of a systemwide failure, it was clear he placed much of the responsibility at the feet of the Detroit School Board. Two action plans, including the 2006 Governor's Transition Team Report, have largely been ignored by the school board, he said. "If we had implemented 60 percent, 70 percent or 80 percent of what's in those plans, there wouldn't be a need right now for an emergency financial manager," Bobb said. At another point Tuesday, Bobb said: "If these results were produced by the members of a corporate board of directors, I can tell you that board would be removed." He blamed school principals and a failing curriculum that doesn't prepare students for the national test. Bobb was appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm in March to fix the district's finances, but has been lobbying for academic control over the district as well. However, the elected school board believes it has power over academics and sued Bobb this year for violating their authority. Bobb countersued, saying the board violated his orders when it appointed Teresa Gueyser as general superintendent. Both sides are scheduled to appear in Wayne Circuit Court on Wednesday for a hearing on the case, which should clear up who has the power over curriculum. Gueyser introduced her own detailed academic plan for the district this year and the 11-member school board embraced it. However, it awaits funding from Bobb. The NAEP test started in 1969. Former Superintendent Connie Calloway's team signed Detroit up for the test that's often considered the gold standard of student assessment. A sample of DPS fourth- and eighth-graders participated for the first time this year in the test administered in January and March. Bobb pledged Friday to move aggressively to implement his own academic plan that will "throw out" the current system, he said. He won't release a copy of the draft plan because he said it's not complete, but said it's a "robust" plan that's funded through federal stimulus grants, including an application for $80 million in federal Race to the Top program funds. It would include working with outside private firms, something board members and community activists have balked at as a ploy to turn public schools to charters. "We are going to continue to fight for the academic controls," Bobb said. The average composite score for fourth-graders was 200 (on a scale of 0-500), and the national average was 239. The results show DPS students had trouble with basic skills. Just 33 percent of fourth-graders could subtract 75 from 301, whereas 67 percent of kids nationwide correctly computed the answer. The average composite score for eighth-graders was 238 (not comparable to the fourth-graders' scale), whereas the nationwide average was 282. Students had trouble on questions ranging from geometry to estimation. Students, however, aren't to blame for the poor scores, Bobb said. "The real fault lies squarely with leadership," he said. "It's not the kids' fault. There's nothing wrong with these kids' minds." |
| Posted by:Beavis |
| #8 I'd be curious to know the lottery ticket sales rate in the area, in relation to math test scores. I've always suspected that the lottery is simply a tax on people who are bad at math. |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2009-12-09 18:10 |
| #7 It probably doesn't help the test scores when al the kids who actually care about Education moved away with their job-seeking parents. |
| Posted by: Charles 2009-12-09 16:40 |
| #6 If the leadership's hands are bound by Union Contracts which prevent firing of incompetant teachers, merit based pay, etc... then there isn't much that can be done and this will just throw money at the unions (in the form of smaller class size (read: more union membership fees)). And of course having the kids (and their parents) unprepared to learn has a lot to do with it as well. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-12-09 14:50 |
| #5 "The real fault lies squarely with leadership," he said. "It's not the kids' fault. There's nothing wrong with these kids' minds." That fallacy is why the scores are so poor. You cannot teach kids unprepared to learn. A 12 year old from the ghetto, born to a young gang-banger, cannot see the need to know math beyond the street value of a kilo. Substitute Kandahar for Detroit and see if the approach would be different than throwing money at the problem as usual. |
| Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091 2009-12-09 12:59 |
| #4 Must be something wrong with the test. Normalize the scores upward so nobody gets their self esteem damaged. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-12-09 12:36 |
| #3 Nice job NEA. Let's throw more tax dollars at it. |
| Posted by: Hellfish 2009-12-09 12:28 |
| #2 First Chicago loses the Olympic bid to Rio and now the Academic Excellence title to Detroit? Something is wrong here... |
| Posted by: Waldemar Gleamp1150 2009-12-09 11:47 |
| #1 Woo Woo! We're Number One. Deetroit! Deetroit! |
| Posted by: SteveS 2009-12-09 10:57 |