Third Grade Test

SELECTED
CONTENTS:

"...every group that wishes to see conflicting interests resolved reasonably, or is wise about the conditions under which it enjoys its own freedom, must be profoundly concerned with the state of freedom of speech and assembly, freedom of inquiry and teaching, freedom of press and other forms of communication, freedom of cultural opportunity and development. For in large measure intelligent moral choice depends upon them."
--Sidney Hook (1902-1988), disciple of John Dewey, and champion of pragmatism and democracy

Jill F. writes about her daughter's third grade test

Jill's letter to Goodschools reflects yet again the intellectual bankruptcy of our education system (Those are my words, not hers). This is what Jill had to say:

Jill begins with these words:

"Hi! I read your article about the "A" Halloween story and I agree with
you, the teacher was on Freon. But I've got another little ditty for
you, that I thought you might enjoy. My daughter attends 2nd grade at a
public school in Houston TX. She was recently given a practice third
grade TAAS math test. On the test was the following question:

'Niki's tomato plant has 24 tomatoes, Nora's tomato plant has 27
tomatoes. About how many tomatoes were there?
A. Between 10 and 20
B. Between 20 and 30
C. Between 50 and 60
D. Between 80 and 90'"

My response:

As I followed along with the test, I assumed that there would be only one acceptable answer. The sum of the tomatoes was fifty-one. Therefore, the only correct answer would be "C." However, that's not what Jill tells us her daughter's school is teaching.

Jill then writes:

"Did you try it? My daughter answered C and was wrong. The correct
answer per TAAS is B - between 20 and 30. I raised the question with
her teacher and was told this: "24 rounds to 20, 27 rounds to 30 so the
answer is B - between 20 and 30". Well then if that is the answer, then
the question should be written as this: 'About how many tomatoes were
there on each plant?' Right? I think most "reasonable" people believe
that the question, as written, implies about how many tomatoes in all.
I have polled over 30 adults, a lot of them CPAs and financial people,
and everyone has answered C, just like my daughter. I love the look on
their face when I tell them they just missed a Third Grade TAAS Math
Question. This is how we test the academic ability of our 8 and 9 year
olds in Texas..... I'm afraid we are on Freon as well." --Jill F

JP-P, writes concerning the whole matter (1-15-03):

"In response and defense of the 3rd grade teacher, it is not her fault that the answer is B. That is the way the state of TEXAS Educational System is set up by the Legislature who hired college proffs to write the stupid tests in the first place. Now to give you some of my background so you'll know I know. I taught in the state of Texas for 33 years, mostly Third Grade. I know just like thousands of other teachers, something needs to be done by elementary teachers who give the tests and not some person who hasn't been in the elementary classroom for centuries or probably for never!

Sincerely,

JP-P, B.S.Ed, M.Ed., D.F.

My response:

There can be no doubt that, if this letter and this test are legitimate, our educational system is in greater need of overhaul than even I suspected.

We need a "seed change" in our educational system. We need to root out the old, and plant new. I do not think it will be fixed in any other way. The educational "farms" that have produced this inferior grade of teacher must be plowed under, and new ones cultivated. The seeds are bad, and the crops inferior.   I believe that a "seed change" will ultimately produce a sea change.

Regarding JP-P's recent note regarding this article, I think that JP-P is generally correct in his/her overview of the matter. I think that the problem does stem from an "over-bureaucratized" educational system. The problem here, however, is bigger than JP-P is willing to admit. According to Jill, the teacher was confronted with the error, and yet persisted in it. JP-P's explanation of the problem's origin may be correct, and probably is; however the fact that the teacher stuck with the ignorant error even after confrontation suggests the problem is systemic.

Our culture will languish until we get serious about this. Is it any wonder that the American students test last (in math and the sciences) among all the industrialized nations?   That was "L A S T."

...And when we do this, when we revamp our educational system, I hope we will be bright enough to take a long hard look at the racist underpinning of Darwin's theology.

Would you like to see related letters and my comments?

--Mike Carrier (MA, NYU--Graduate School of Arts and Science)

This site features a frank presentation of issues facing parents, taxpayers and schools in reforming schools in the twenty-first century. Good Schools promotes good schools, and explains what is necessary to achieve good schools. We are convinced that good schools can be obtained only with sound curriculum, which does not include the teaching of Darwin's theory of origin, or Darwin's theory of evolution. We believe that local school boards need to be empowered, and the influence of teachers' unions ought to be limited to labor-related issues. Teachers' unions should have no say in curriculum.

We are convinced that the teachings of Darwin, particularly Darwin's teachings on evolution, and Darwin's theories on origins, ought not be taught as fact. Darwin and Darwin's theories are not generally accepted by contemporary physicists and cosmologists, and, therefore, Darwin and Darwin's theories ought not be accepted whole-cloth by our schools of education, and ought not be presented as fact in public schools.

Because Richard Dawkins has set himself up as the number one defender of Darwin and Darwin's theory of evolution, we will go to some length explaining Dawkins' Darwin defenses, and we will do our best to explode Dawkins' Darwin defenses.

We seek to show from Darwin's own hand that Darwin, and Darwin's theory of evolution, are racist at the core. Darwin was a racist, Darwin's theory of evolution is racist, and Darwin's theory of origins is racist.

We further seek to show that Darwin's theory of evolution is not scientific. We show that racism, more than science, was behind Darwin and Darwin's theory of evolution, and Darwin's theory of origins.

Some of the terms commonly used on this site are: Darwin, Dawkins, schools, public schools, education, gun control, teachers, John Dewey, Littleton, racist, racism , school choice, African American, Sidney Hook, evolution, and Mike Carrier.

Bottom line--good schools require work. Good schools do not just happen. We need good schools, if we are to have a good nation.