This is kind of interesting...the results of the last round of Hawai'i State Aptitude Tests are in, and apparently the students in middle school and high school aren't doing too well. So rather than trying to make their curricula more stringent to meet the criteria of HSA, the DOE wants to lower the bar so students don't get "discouraged". Some are proposing that the standards be changed to be more in line with the Stanford Aptitude Test, which compares the results of students from different states. All this so the DOE isn't penalized by the "No Child Left Behind" Act.
If I was on the BOE, I would say, hell no, don't lower the standards...keep the HSA as rigorous as it is, make the students have to study the right things. Why would the parents of Hawai'i want their kids to have mediocre educations? It's not the fault of the kids...it's the fault of the public school system and parents who can't or won't spend enough time with their kids to help them. Granted, Hawai'i does have a unique situation with all the immigrant (non English speaking) students, but they should be given extra help if that's what's needed to make them successful in school.
Dumbing down the contents of a standardized test because the test scores are below what's expected is going to produce a lot of kids who won't try hard.
Miulang
If I was on the BOE, I would say, hell no, don't lower the standards...keep the HSA as rigorous as it is, make the students have to study the right things. Why would the parents of Hawai'i want their kids to have mediocre educations? It's not the fault of the kids...it's the fault of the public school system and parents who can't or won't spend enough time with their kids to help them. Granted, Hawai'i does have a unique situation with all the immigrant (non English speaking) students, but they should be given extra help if that's what's needed to make them successful in school.
Dumbing down the contents of a standardized test because the test scores are below what's expected is going to produce a lot of kids who won't try hard.
Miulang
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