With schools off the table, politically, Newsom and legislators are wrangling over more contentious issues, particularly the reductions in medical and social services for poor, elderly and disabled Californians that Newsom seeks to close the budget gap.
The comity on school spending, however, shuns a debate that California’s politicians should be having — what to do about the system’s chronically subpar academic achievement.
This week the Public Policy Institute of California issued a timely reminder that there’s been little progress — and some regression — in such basic skills as reading and mathematics, with wide gaps among students tied to family income, ethnicity and other socioeconomic factors.
In an analysis of state academic tests that were administered last year, PPIC researchers reported that fewer than half of all students “met or exceeded state standards in English Language Arts, while about a third (36%) did so in math.”
The analysis also found that “proficiency rates were highest among Asian students: just above 70% in English and nearly two-thirds in math. White students’ rates were lower, with 60% meeting the standard in English and 50% in math. Proficiency rates were lower on average for Black and Latino students — 24% and 37% in English, respectively, and 18% and 30% in math.”
Also girls fared much better than boys in English. And proficiency in basic skills among low-income students is scarcely half that of those from moderate- or high-income families.
To cap it off, PPIC notes that California students’ rates of proficiency in federal tests continue to lag behind those of other states.
None of these findings is unexpected. California students have been lagging behind the state’s expectations and national norms for many years, even as spending on the school system has continued to climb to well over $20,000 a year per pupil from state aid, local property taxes and federal subventions.
One would think that California’s stubbornly mediocre — at best — education outcomes would sit atop the political agenda, given their negative effects on students and the state as a whole.
However, the Capitol’s discussions of education usually start and end with how much money schools should receive, when it’s obvious that school finances, while important, are just one factor in outcomes.
There are some signs of progress on those other factors, such as a recent agreement to encourage local school systems to use phonics in teaching elementary students how to read, the most important of all academic skills.
While the state is stopping short of mandating phonics, as many education experts advise, it’s a step forward that more or less declares a winner in the very long debate over methodology that’s been dubbed “reading wars.”
However, there’s also been some regression. As PPIC notes in its study, the state Board of Education, which tends to reflect the education establishment’s priorities, has adopted new definitions of academic test proficiency that could obscure embarrassingly low results. For instance, if a student scores below grade level, their performance will be labeled “Developing” or “Minimum.”
“Understanding student scores could be growing more difficult,” PPIC says. That’s not a good thing.
Op-Ed’s are written by community members, not representatives of edhat. The views and opinions expressed in Op-Ed articles are those of the author’s.
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With “white flight” (and Asian of course), the peril facing public education can be seen as a true and ominous marker. One of the great social experiments of the US was its commitment to offer free public education to all. If we cannot address this the basic matter of our democracy is threatened.
That the State Board of Education is adopting new definitions of academic test proficiency so they can obscure the reality of the dismal outcomes is so wrong because most vulnerable students won’t catch up if not identified and intervened early. Sadly the system still tends to protects itself from embarrassment rather than solve the achievement gap and believe in our most vulnerable students.
Though poverty is a factor it is not the cause. The current data indicates substantial progress for high-performing students and decline for those with the lowest scores over the last ten years. How reading is taught is at the heart of the achievement gap. The science of reading approach works for all students and includes 5 foundational skills, phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency and comprehension.
Thankfully on June 5th AB1545 CA’s early literacy bill authored by Speaker Robert Rivas passed . The bill focuses on pupil literacy, specifically addressing administrative services credential program standards, professional development, and instructional materials aligned to the science of reading approach. as well as screening early for dyslexia. 1454 is an important start for literacy justice and changing systemic barriers caused by apathetic leadership and politics.
not a great ROI on $80.2B