Monday, October 27, 2014

Standard-Examiner: Utah SAGE Test Results Illuminate Math Struggles - Updated

Hoping that State Schools Superintndent Brad Smith does not lead the state system to the same horrible results he has achieved in Ogden

By: Blackrulon:

The results of statewide testing of schools (SAGE) has been released. Ogden School District posted results of 28.1% in Language Arts, 20.3% in Mathemetics and 26.8% in Science:
The State of Utah has selected former Ogden school District Superintendent Brad Smith to lead education in Utah. I only hope that he does not lead the state system to the same horrible results he has achieved in Ogden.

Update 10/29/14 8:30 a.m.: Interesting story from the Salt Lake Tribune, reporting that Utah Charter School SAGE test performance was merely on par with that of Utah public schools:
Click the link below to find out how your children’s specific schools performed:

7 comments:

rudizink said...

This is heartbreaking. I'm disgusted, but not surprised. My daughter goes to kindergarten for less than 3 hours a day, and Wednesday's schedule is even shorter. Then they had an entire "early out" week in addition to an entire week off. We are only in October! She tested into a reading level several years above her class, but that testing process was an exercise in futility since there have been no accommodations for her. There is no gifted program, etc. I am so utterly disappointed with the public school system. I look at these results, and it makes me even sadder. No wonder USA is slipping; education is not important here.

Pamela said...

And will the general public blame teachers or legislators who don't care that we have huge classes of 33-45 students? What will we do when all of us teachers decide to throw in the towel and say to hell with it; enough is enough. Every time they throw a few more pennies in the education coffers, they want insurmountable proof that we deserve it, or they put even more expectations on us. There is nothing left of us to spread any thinner. It's old and exhausting. Split our classes in half and just let us teach!

rudizink said...

At least half of the great teachers in the Ogden School\District have already "thrown in the towel," and moved on. This, people, is a disaster!

Pamela said...

It is going to take at least a decade for OSD to recover. Skeleton faculties of first year teachers and substitutes are not going to be very effective in raising scores such as these.

Pamela said...

Does anyone realize the physical square footage it takes to cram 10-15 more desks in a classroom that was made to hold 30? It's suffocating and the kids feel like they're being treated like dirt. And so do the teachers. Kids aren't going to care and try to do well under these conditions.

Ozboy said...

Didn't this Smith guy get appointed to the State Super job primarily because he raised scores in the Ogden Schools? With the release of these new scores doesn't it point out that the State Board is every bit as lame as the Ogden Board? Was his raising scores somehow a lie that got slid in on the Ogden residents?


And as long as I'm asking rhetorical questions here,

Doesn't all these state wide low scores, of which Ogden got only half the points of other low scoring districts, kinda put the lie to the idea that some how, regardless of Utah's leading low nation wide expenditure per pupil, Utah School kids are getting top notch educations? And finally, doesn't the numerous low scores for Charter Schools point out the fallacy that they provide a better education for the kids attending them?


Oh, and one more - is this fiasco in education just a preview of what the future holds for Utah with this idiotic gang of incompetent Tea Party Tin Hatters at the controls?

rudizink said...

Smith certainly didn't improve OSD test scores, as Blackrulon's article attests, My theory? The current Ogden School Board elevated him to the Superintendent post so he could engage in union-busting, which he did. This is of course the reason that Weber County Forum is now advocating the replacement of all current Ogden School board incumbents with the full slate of challengers in next week's election.

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