Comments on: AN ARGUMENT FOR SCHOOL CHOICE http://citizentom.com/2010/01/24/an-argument-for-school-choice/ Welcome to Conservative commentary from Gainesville, Virginia. That's OUTSIDE the Beltway. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:50:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: pwceducationreform http://citizentom.com/2010/01/24/an-argument-for-school-choice/#comment-17173 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:20:08 +0000 http://citizentom.com/?p=7231#comment-17173 Our public schools aren’t accountable to the parents – they’re accountable to the state and federal bureaucracies which fund them. To keep getting their cash they have to demonstrate through test scores that their students are performing better each year. Most schools realize the demonstrating such progress is a challenge. So to ensure that the cash cow doesn’t move on to greener pastures they lower standards and dumb down the tests. When that isn’t enough, they change the definition of proficient.

I wonder how many citizens are aware that the definition of proficient in Virginia on the SOL is generally around 66%. It varies year by year and grade by grade, but a score of 66% correct is typically enough for a pass in Virginia. This is based on tests that ask 3rd graders what 6 + 8 is.

The SDMT (used for 1st and 2nd grade math assessments in PWCS) defines proficient as 50% correct for subtraction.

The school districts and elected school boards don’t care what parents think. They don’t care what the teachers think. They don’t care what the test scores demonstrate. They just want to make sure they get their cash – from state and federal bureaucracies and private grants. Since parents have no control over the cash, they’re irrelevant.

School choice allows dissatisfied parents to leave the district and take their money with them. I think that’s a wonderful thing and wonder whether our new Governor and elected state officials will pass legislation empowering parents to choose what they believe is right for their own children.

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