Contents of this issue:
- Michigan students score on par with national average
- Low MEAP scores blamed on test wording
- NEA chief denounces "No Child Left Behind" Act
- Watkins speaks about state budget problems
- COMMENTARY: Achievement gap between states a problem
- D.C. voucher plan revived in House and Senate
- Houston district improving dropout tracking, says state agency
MICHIGAN STUDENTS SCORE ON PAR WITH NATIONAL AVERAGE
DETROIT, Mich. — A mandatory nationwide test shows that Michigan
students are on par with the national average in math and
reading, according to data released last Thursday.
A random sample of 2,500 fourth and eighth graders in 150 schools
took the test as mandated by the "No Child Left Behind" Act of
2002. This is the first year the tests are required, although
Michigan participated on a voluntary basis in previous years.
In math, Michigan students averaged several points above the
national average score, 236 out of 500 for fourth graders and 276
for eighth graders. In reading, fourth graders scored 219 and
eighth graders averaged 264. "We're not the highest, but we're a
tad above average," Roger Swaim, legislative liaison for the
Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association,
told the Detroit News.
Though math scores are up compared to earlier years, more than
two-thirds of students nationwide do not meet proficiency
according to federal standards. "We clearly should be doing
better, but it's not horrible," Barbara Kapinus, a reading
specialist for the National Education Association, told CNN.
SOURCES:
Detroit Free Press, "Michigan students about average,"
Nov. 14, 2003
https://www.freep.com/news/education/card14_20031114.htm
CNN, "Math test scores up, reading holds steady," Nov. 13, 2003
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/11/13/math.reading.scores.ap/
index.html
U.S. Department of Education, "Paige Issues Statement on Results
of Nation's Report Card: Reading 2002," June 19, 2003
http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2003/06/06192003.html
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "What Is the Best Way to Teach
Reading?" April 2003
https://www.mackinac.org/5365
LOW MEAP SCORES BLAMED ON TEST WORDING
LANSING, Mich. — Consistent poor performance by high school
students on the social studies portion of the Michigan
Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test has administrators and
officials wondering about the cause of the failures.
Three-quarters of Michigan's high school seniors consistently
fail to achieve proficiency on the social studies exam. This
year, 25.5 percent of graduating seniors passed the social
studies portion — slightly up from the class of 2002 — while
61.1 percent passed science, 66 percent passed reading and 60.9
percent passed writing.
Some blame the wording of the social studies exam for the
students' consistent poor performance. "It looks like there could
be three right answers," said Meghan Pace, a senior at Mott High
School, said of one of the test's questions. "They seem to be
asking opinions."
Michigan doesn't take the social studies portion into account
when distributing the $2,500 Michigan Merit Award scholarships.
SOURCES:
Detroit News, "MEAP scores blamed on curriculum, wording,"
Nov. 14, 2003
https://www.detroitnews.com/2003/schools/0311/14/d01-324988.htm
Grand Rapids Press, "District moves to raise MEAP social studies
scores," Nov. 13, 2003
https://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-11/
1068740281260340.xml
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "How Does the MEAP Measure
Up?" December 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3919
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "POLICY BRIEF: Which
Educational Achievement Test is Best for Michigan?" May 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4382
NEA CHIEF DENOUNCES FEDERAL "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" ACT
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Reg Weaver, president of the National
Education Association (NEA) spoke to Southfield Public Schools
officials and teachers last week about contract negotiations that
have been ongoing since August.
As part of his remarks, Weaver, denounced President Bush's "No
Child Left Behind" Act, and called upon Michigan educators to
"fight a common enemy." He said, "Those enemies don't care if
you're teacher or a school board member. They simply don't share
our philosophies in providing a great public education."
School officials say they have experienced funding cuts and have
had to increase spending to meet federal standards under the Act,
and that these steps have forced them to increase class sizes and
made it impossible to give pay raises. Advocates of the federal
law say the Act simply sets up incentives for achievement and
penalties for not meeting acceptable academic standards.
SOURCES:
Southfield Eccentric, "NEA chief: End bargaining impasse,"
Nov. 17, 2003
https://www.hometownlife.com/news/SouthfieldEccentric/
default.asp?Page=11-16-2003/FullStory/11_16_03.1st.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible School Districts," December 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4891
WATKINS SUGGESTS DELAY OF INCOME TAX ROLLBACK
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. — Speaking on state budget issues with
parents, staff and administrators at a West Bloomfield elementary
school last week, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom
Watkins asked whether they would favor a budget measure that
"pauses" the planned income tax rollback set in motion by former
Gov. John Engler. The audience gave him a positive response.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm plans to cut state funding $196 per pupil
to help stem the state's projected $900 million budget shortfall
for this fiscal year. "In the immediate future there are going to
be some extremely difficult budget choices. We know at this point
that cuts school districts may be able to make aren't going to
come from figuring out how to save more money in paper clips,"
Watkins said.
Granholm also is considering pausing the rollback of state income
taxes, and reducing the amount of the $2,500 one-time scholarships
for graduating seniors that perform well on the Michigan
Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) tests.
SOURCES:
West Bloomfield Eccentric, "State school chief spells out
crisis," Nov. 17, 2003
https://www.hometownlife.com/news/WestBloomfieldEccentric/
default.asp?Page=11-16-2003/FullStory/11_16_03.1st.12.htm
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "2,948 Jobs Won't Be Created
if State Income Tax Cut Delayed, State Economic Model Shows,"
Oct. 9, 2003
https://www.mackinac.org/5824
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "No: Michigan Can't Afford to
Postpone Reducing Taxes, Attracting Growth," Feb. 4, 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4049
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Six Habits of Fiscally
Responsible School Districts," December 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4891
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Funding: Lack of Money
or Lack of Money Management?" August 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3683
COMMENTARY: ACHIEVEMENT GAP BETWEEN STATES A PROBLEM
NEW YORK, N.Y. — A commentary published in the New York Post this
weekend states that, contrary to prevalent stereotypes of the big
city vs. "backwoods" states, African American students fare far
better academically in West Virginia schools than in New York
schools.
According to Jay P. Greene and Greg Forster of the Manhattan
Institute for Policy Research, African-American students in West
Virginia are "far more likely than their New York counterparts"
to graduate from high school, opening up opportunities for jobs
and higher education that the same students in the Empire State
may never receive.
In New York, the graduation rate for black students is 47 percent
(below the national average of 51 percent), compared to 70
percent in West Virginia. "The data seem to indicate that West
Virginia is holding its black students to a higher standard, and
with outstanding results," wrote Greene and Forster.
SOURCE:
New York Post, "Falling Behind West Virginia," Nov. 16, 2003
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/10847.htm
D.C. VOUCHER PLAN REVIVED IN HOUSE AND SENATE
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A plan to give District of Columbia students
vouchers funded by the federal government was revived by House
and Senate Republicans yesterday and may pass by the end of the
week.
The plan is now attached to a $5.6 billion District budget as
part of a larger omnibus bill that cannot be voted down without
shutting down many government operations. Because of this tactic,
Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., said it was "more likely" than
not that the new bill will pass, according to the Washington
Post.
Voucher proponents praise the Republican's move, which would
provide $10 million to the District for a multi-year voucher
program. "It's about time," said Jeanne Allen, president of the
Center for Education Reform. "It's such a small amount of money
that has been taken out of context. This is a modest attempt to
give kids in the District choice in education."
SOURCES:
Washington Post, "Republicans Revive D.C. Voucher Plan,"
Nov. 17, 2003
https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A49690-2003Nov16
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Friedman Says Vouchers and
Tax Credits Useful Route to Greater School Choice,"
March 19, 2002
https://www.mackinac.org/4117
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "The Case for Choice in
Schooling: Restoring Parental Control of Education,"
Jan. 29, 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3236
HOUSTON DISTRICT IMPROVING DROP-OUT TRACKING, SAYS STATE AGENCY
HOUSTON, Texas — The Houston Independent School District is
making improvements in tracking dropouts, according to the agency
monitoring the district's efforts.
A state investigation of under-reported dropout rates in August
forced district officials to repair the problem in six months or
face repercussions. Marvin Crawford, a representative from the
Texas Education Agency, says the district is on its way to
improving the problem.
Several schools in the Houston district claimed they had no
dropouts, while an audit found that 3,000 dropouts were
unaccounted for in the 2000-2001 school year. The state docked
the pay of several district employees and administrators for
falsification of records.
SOURCES:
CNN, "Schools improving dropout record-keeping," Nov. 15, 2003
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/11/15/houston.dropout.ap/index.html
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Less Government, Not More, Is
Key to Academic Achievement and Accountability," Oct. 3, 2001
https://www.mackinac.org/3786
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education
Report (
https://www.educationreport.org), a quarterly newspaper
with a circulation of 130,000 published by the Mackinac Center
for Public Policy (
https://www.mackinac.org), a private,
nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute.
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