Got a blog tip? Contact us
« WhyTheyHate.Us | Main | Bragging Rights »
Bush Needs an Aide to Spell SAT
Back in the day there was a lot of hand-wringing on the right about how Clinton's example led to a boom in teenage blowjobs (not to mention corporate crime). I suppose that means we can now credit our President for the sharp drop in SAT scores.
And maybe a press conference where the CEO of Halliburton weepily confesses that he can't read.
Posted by Charles Star on 08/30/2006 | Permalink
Comments
The drop in SAT scores is due to a redesign of the SAT that reverses years of dumbing down. The new test is longer and includes an essay section.
Posted by: Fred | Sep 1, 2006 3:08:08 AM
I am happy about this -- it shows that the era of teaching to the test may finally be dying. the new SAT has an essay section -- and as a college composition instructor, I know that you simply can't teach composition in a cookie cutter fashion. They've scored "writing" for years as basic grammar and syntax knowledge, not actual writing. I would want to know more specifically what sections are scoring lower.
I've looked into scoring the essays for the College Board, and the standards are strong. I would guess that for many of these kids, it's the first time they are writing something where the teacher hasn't already laid out exactly what they are supposed to write. I overheard local high school writing teachers talking once -- they scored their students essays on whether they used one complex sentence, one compound sentence, one multi-adjective description, etc. In other words, easily computed and checked off elements that didn't require critical analysis. Kids taught in that atmosphere really struggle when they are asked to write for real.
Posted by: jkosmicki | Oct 2, 2006 5:17:14 PM
