Published: June 07, 2008 09:42 pm            

Larry Winter: Raising standards

Shortly after I joined the State Board of Education, we received a policy update from Superintendent Kathy Cox and Department of Education staff regarding much-needed changes to our math curriculum.

We were told that, since the 1960s, Georgia’s students, regardless of what level of math they had completed, were scoring at about 80 percent of the national average on the SAT. It didn’t matter if students had taken General Math, Algebra I, Algebra II or, even, AP Calculus. When compared to their peers, they were scoring at the 80th percentile.

I’m a numbers person. And to me, that translated to the fact that Georgia had unwittingly adopted a lower standard regarding mathematics. We were only expecting our kids to know 80 percent of what the rest of the country knew.

Now, to some people, 80 percent might seem OK. That’s a “B” and would qualify a student for the HOPE scholarship. But to the nation, it’s not good enough.

That is why we hear that our state has the second-lowest math SAT scores in the nation. That is why so many of our HOPE Scholarship recipients are taking remedial mathematics courses in college. That is why we are seeing Georgia lose out on high tech jobs and are watching some of our best and brightest leave the state for other opportunities.

The response to results like these has been to increase expectations for our students in mathematics. Starting in 2005 we began rolling out the Georgia Performance Standards in Mathematics. Two years ago, we introduced students in grade six to this new, more rigorous mathematics curriculum. Last year, we introduced it to students in grades K-2 and seven. This year, we introduced it to students in grades 3-5 and eight.

As you are probably aware, the pass rate on this year’s eighth-grade math CRCT (Criterion-Referenced Competency Test) is about 62 percent — much lower than in past years. This is a much more rigorous test than in the past and this type of drop in the pass rate is to be expected when you raise standards.

But these results are in line with what we are seeing on other state and national mathematics assessments. Consider these facts:

• In 2006, when sixth-graders took the CRCT aligned to the new curriculum, about 62 percent passed.

• In 2007, about 64 percent of our students passed Algebra and Geometry End of Course Tests in high school.

• In 2007, about 64 percent of eighth-graders scored at basic levels and above on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

We now have a realistic baseline regarding student achievement in mathematics and the good news is that we will see improvement. In areas where the new curriculum has been implemented for more than one year, test scores are going up. In reading and writing, we are scoring at the national level. Similar results in mathematics are sure to follow.

No, we are not happy with 62 percent of our students passing the eighth-grade mathematics CRCT, but raising standards takes time and patience.

In the meantime, I would ask our citizens — including parents and students — not to view those who don't pass a test on the first try as a failure (if that was a case, many of us would be out of business).

This is especially true of parents who have fifth- and eighth-graders who didn't quite hit the mark on the math CRCT and now must go to summer school and retest. I’ve heard from many of you and your fear is that your child is going to view this as failure. But that depends upon how you respond. Different students take different amounts of time to learn and master a subject.

If you view this time of remediation as an additional opportunity for mastery, then they will. If you view it as failure, then they will.

I’m for mastery. I want every child in Georgia to have mastered the basic principles of our language and mathematics so they can be ready for the good jobs that await them if they’re adequately prepared.



Larry Winter, an accountant from Whitfield County, is the 9th District representative on the State Board of Education.

        

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