Online charter schools flunking - SAT scores are out - Duncan on what reformers get wrong - First pink slime, now chicken processed in China
Featuring Caitlin Emma and Nirvi Shah
ONLINE CHARTER SCHOOLS FLUNKING -- Online charter schools have traditionally defended poor scores on standardized tests by arguing that they’re working with students who are already behind and have a lot of catching up to do. But new measures of student growth show that the students aren’t learning as much as their peers in traditional schools, either — and they’re seemingly immune from the criticism politicians level at failing brick-and-mortar schools.
Pro Education’s Stephanie Simon looked at the data: “The scores are so bad, especially at the largest and most high-profile cyber schools, that even fervent advocates of online learning have begun to worry. ‘Unless we address these quality issues that have emerged quite profoundly,’ the poor performance of cyber schools will ‘put the entire industry of education innovation at risk,’ said Susan Patrick, president of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, an industry trade group. ‘We need to have an honest discussion about this.’ ” The full story for Pros: http://politico.pro/1bde1me
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING: SAT SCORES ARE OUT -- The SAT scores of high school students remain stagnant, with just 43 percent of test-takers in the class of 2013 hitting benchmarks for college readiness, the College Board announced early today. The College Board views an SAT score of 1550 or better out of a potential 2400 as the benchmark for college success, because its research shows students who achieve that score in high school are more likely to maintain a first-year college GPA of at least B- and to persevere in their studies until they earn a bachelor’s degree.
Although the percentage of students considered college ready has held steady for the past five years that might be a victory. An increasing proportion of African-American and Hispanic students are taking the tests, as are more low-income students. Those groups traditionally have performed less well on the standardized test than white students. Stephanie Simon, today’s Pro Education all-star, has more: http://politico.pro/16KAqQl
--Prompting low-income students to aim high: Students from low-income families who score