In an article released earlier this week, the Maryland State Department of Education shared the results of the science MSA taken by fifth and eighth graders. While the state average in science was better than this year's average in reading and math, there hasn't been a noticeable jump in test scores since the science MSA was instituted 4 years ago.
Bowie reports, "In Baltimore City, the fifth grade dropped 3 percentage points to 36 percent passing while eighth-graders rose 3 percentage points to 37.6 percent. The city scores were 30 percentage points below the state average[my emphasis]." This data represents a stark reality facing Baltimore City Public Schools. Whether or not we should consider this data reliable, we should be concerned at the disparity between the performance of students in Baltimore City and those in the surrounding Maryland counties. Why might we be performing so much worse?
Bowie mentions the release of a National Research Council "framework for what students should be taught in science from kindergarten through 12th grade. The framework places more weight on teaching engineering as well as science and reduces the number of core concepts taught in a year." To me, reducing the number of core concepts taught in a year - the depth over breadth argument - is key. While I don't personally have experience teaching science, one of my close colleagues this year (a teacher who just completed his fifth year) was tasked with trying to prepare our 8th graders for the science MSA. One of the major difficulties - he said - was the breadth of topics that the test covers, as well as the fact that the MSA is designed to test knowledge gleaned from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. I think that he would welcome this framework as opposed to the current science curriculum.
This goes back to the consideration of new standards like Common Core: will this significantly help students in Baltimore City and other urban areas? And not only that, but how long will it take to see results? Ravitch argues that good curricula is essential to a good education. But obviously, it is not the only factor we need to consider in reforming our schools. Baltimore City also needs to continue to encourage and develop teacher effectiveness, infuse schools with good leadership, involve families and communities in the process of school reform, and much, much more if we want to see really game-changing results in the quality of our student's education (and this means not just results on tests, obviously). Better curricula is without doubt a great thing, but it is just one piece of the education puzzle.
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2 comments:
I think you rightly point out that the article should have focused on the 30 percentage point achievement gap as opposed to a slight increase in test scores over the past few years. It is wrong to celebrate such minimal progress when in reality it is a sign of continuing mediocrity as compared to the educational outcomes of the students of our suburban counterparts.
While I do think that the change in curricular standards are beneficial to student learning, I am nonetheless concerned that this shift will not have a dramatic impact on the science achievement gap. This worry comes from my knowledge that many teachers and schools in the city cut out social studies and science instruction because those two subjects do not count in AYP measures.
Until social studies and science are made a priority by school leaders and are thus not allowed to be cut out of the curriculum, I have a hard time believing that the city scores will increase. It is impossible to expect a 5th or 8th grade teacher to make up for (potentially) years of lost instruction, whether that instruction is comprised of teaching a breadth of scientific ideas or is focused on developing and honing scientific processes/skills.
The bottom line here is that these scores reflect that many of our primary school kids are being deprived of the science (and social studies) education that their suburban peers receive. Yes, a better curriculum might help, but only if it is implemented in the city's classrooms.
Cara
Cara makes a great point. In a time when test scores are becoming more and more important (especially now that they are being attached to teacher pay) the focus is going to drift from those areas that are not "counted." However, I do not think that science and social studies teachers are throwing their own curriculum out of the window in order to teach math and English concepts that "count" towards AYP. I think this points more to a deficit in the curriculum and ability of teachers in the science and social studies classrooms in our city schools. What are the suburban teachers getting that the city school teachers are not? Do they share the same curriculum? Do they trade strategies? Surely some communication between county and city schools is taking place and if it is not, it would certainly help.
Although I did just disagree with one part of Cara's post, I must say, I do agree with her that the science and social studies teachers might benefit from having their test scores "count." If the problem is bad curriculum or resources being directed towards the AYP subjects, this would even the playing field. Not to mention, if the issue does lie with the teachers themselves, maybe having their test scores in the limelight would give them the motivation to improve.
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