New York removes test for screening teachers because blacks/hispanics can't pass it

[Flarelaine]

No, the best teacher I've ever had was unarguably less educated than I was. But, he gave motivation to learn. There's more to teaching than simply knowing a thing; if you think otherwise, fire them all and sit kids in front of books.

Well, of course, there is a lot you could look for in a teacher. My favourite one had a different degree (geophysics as opposed to physics teacher) but he was probably the first one to treat us not as high school kids but as adults. And that gave me motivation to act as one. But beyond all that, he still knew what he was teaching and I still expect any teacher to knew their subject - on top of other qualities.



(Among other peculiarities, he said if we wanted to play cards in class we could as long as we do not disturb the others, but he advised us to stay away from our normal seats by the window just opposite the headmaster's office. He said we'd still had to take the test and if we feel confident we can do that without participating in class who is he to deflate our ego?)

[belfpala]

The thing is, are they supposed to teach people oratory? In all honesty without an actual test we cannot really judge this. I'll stick to the last part of the quote:

Sure. Now I'll allow my colors to show. Teach kids interpretive dance, for all I care. They're not learning much else in high school unless they want to.

And I don't know how to teach a teacher to teach that.

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Well, of course, there is a lot you could look for in a teacher. My favourite one had a different degree (geophysics as opposed to physics teacher) but he was probably the first one to treat us not as high school kids but as adults. And that gave me motivation to act as one. But beyond all that, he still knew what he was teaching and I still expect any teacher to knew their subject - on top of other qualities.

I know. See my attached post.

[Zuben]

If it's objectively a bad test like the person at the end states, it should be replaced with a better one. Completely removing a test of abilities from the certification process would be ridiculous.

[Darththeo]

If it's objectively a bad test like the person at the end states, it should be replaced with a better one. Completely removing a test of abilities from the certification process would be ridiculous.

It is perfectly acceptable to remove it if not valid replacement is currently available.

[Deleted]

Hilarious.
Education is the victim of the SJW agenda.

And the US education system was already not one of the better ones in the world.

[Deleted]

God forbid we have well educated teachers. Cant have that can we.

The circle jerk of fucking lunacy continues

Whatever tests they are using are not creating well educated teachers or students.

The very high levels of stupidity in American adults confirm this. Maybe it is time for a change.

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Hilarious.
Education is the victim of the SJW agenda.

Maybe that is the problem. You have too many stupid white people in charge of things and they do a shitty job.

I suspect a lot of people complaining about "SJW's" are incompetent white people scared of being found out, or actually having to compete with some smarter black dude.

[Darththeo]

Hilarious.
Education is the victim of the SJW agenda.

And the US education system was already not one of the better ones in the world.

Hmmm ... so people recognizing something that maybe part of the problem ... is bad thing? You rather just stew where we are?

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Provided you at least present plans to replace it with something better

I disagree. I don't see any problems so long as you state you do plan to replace it at some point.

[d00mGuArD]

one race isn't smarter than others

Source please

[ravenmoon]

and the reason society is really screwed is because when news like this come out, all you people can think about is "it's racist" - i.e. hurts my feeling or haha i'm so superior to black people

no one is actually considering the issues here, why is it black and hispanic teaching students that have this problem the most? where are the recruits coming from? what are the macro effects that contribute to this? institutional racism exists - and is a catchy way of bringing to highlight the disadvantages suffered by minority groups that go back decades and that have a visible effect on today.

If you're aren't racist, then you would know that blacks and hispanics are just as capable as any other as individuals, so if larger numbers are failing this tests in notable proportions then there are other factors involved that need to be addressed to solve that issue for a good number of people. However it doesn't address the problem of getting qualified teachers of acceptable standards teaching students. Teaching is a calling I've often heard it been said, and some people are naturally gifted at it. English and maths are learnable skills, having a natural knack for something is what you are born with - therefore people of those racial groups with a talent for teaching should be given assistance to train well in order to raise their standards, rather than accepting some impatient, bad at explaining, cares only about the paycheck rather than the students person just because he scored high enough in his test. A far more dangerous prospect.

[Vorkreist]

Whatever tests they are using are not creating well educated teachers or students.

The very high levels of stupidity in American adults confirm this. Maybe it is time for a change.

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Maybe that is the problem. You have too many stupid white people in charge of things and they do a shitty job.

I suspect a lot of people complaining about "SJW's" are incompetent white people scared of being found out, or actually having to compete with some smarter black dude.

There is no excuse for a less educated teacher in this day and age nor should it be up for debate. There are plenty of black/hispanic teachers that are good enough for those tests. That doesn't mean you need to give free sjw passes to the lazy ones just because they are black/hispanic.
Those people will influence their communities based on that level of education and make the difference between a kid going thug mode or making a life for himself.

[Krawu]

Sounds like the test needs to be re-configured rather than removed.

No, sounds like someone needs to spend some money on getting minorities to the same level of education as white folks. This is a cultural divide that's not going away in just a few years. It'll take at least a generation or more to fix, even if they start right now.
The test itself is fine. It sets a standard of how well aspiring teachers need to be able to read and doesn't discriminate based on ethnicity.

But instead of raising educational standards and spending the cash that requires, they'd rather just get rid of the test - probably because of how underfunded American public schools are.

[ItachiZaku]

Sounds like the test needs to be re-configured rather than removed.

Sounds like the libs need to fucking work harder. If you can't pass the test, seems to me they just aren't qualified.

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It's one of several tests to become a teacher. Certification process.

Or, if I'm wrong, why not? Medical students take a much more difficult test before they're taught to be doctors.

"You scored at the bottom of your class... I don't think you are qualified to become a surgeon."
"But... I really, REALLY want to do it. "
"Oh, well, in that case, welcome to John Hopkins!"

[Deleted]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/t...ities-46065836

New York education officials are poised to scrap a test designed to measure the reading and writing skills of people trying to become teachers, in part because an outsized percentage of black and Hispanic candidates were failing it.

The state Board of Regents on Monday is expected Monday to adopt a task force's recommendation of eliminating the literacy exam, known as the Academic Literacy Skills Test.

Backers of the test say eliminating it could put weak teachers in classrooms. Critics of the examination said it is redundant and a poor predictor of who will succeed as a teacher.

"We want high standards, without a doubt. Not every given test is going to get us there," said Leslie Soodak, a professor of education at Pace University who served on the task force that examined the state's teacher certification tests.

The literacy test was among four assessments introduced in the 2013-2014 school year as part of an effort to raise the level of elementary and secondary school teaching in the state.

Leaders of the education reform movement have complained for years about the caliber of students entering education schools and the quality of the instruction they receive there. A December 2016 study by the National Council on Teacher Quality found that 44 percent of the teacher preparation programs it surveyed accepted students from the bottom half of their high school classes.

The reformers believe tests like New York's Academic Literacy Skills Test can serve to weed out aspiring teachers who aren't strong students.

But the literacy test raised alarms from the beginning because just 46 percent of Hispanic test takers and 41 percent of black test takers passed it on the first try, compared with 64 percent of white candidates.

A federal judge ruled in 2015 that the test was not discriminatory, but faculty members at education schools say a test that screens out so many minorities is problematic.

"Having a white workforce really doesn't match our student body anymore," Soodak said.

Kate Walsh, the president of National Council on Teacher Quality, which pushes for higher standards for teachers, said that blacks and Latinos don't score as well as whites on the literacy test because of factors like poverty and the legacy of racism.

"There's not a test in the country that doesn't have disproportionate performance on the part of blacks and Latinos," Walsh said.

But she said getting rid of the literacy test would be "a crying shame."

In implementing the exams, she said, New York had become "light years ahead of other states" in its teacher certification regimen.

"New York put together a suite of testing products that really got at the lack of rigor in teacher prep," Walsh said.

The Academic Literacy Skills Test consists of multiple-choice questions about a series of reading selections plus a written section.

A practice test available for $20 on the New York State Education Department website features John F. Kennedy's inaugural address as one of the reading passages and asks questions like this one: "In which excerpt from the passage do Kennedy's word choices most clearly establish a tone of resolve?"

Ian Rosenblum, the executive director of the New York office of the Education Trust, a nonprofit that advocates for high achievement for all students, called the literacy test "a 12th grade-level assessment" — something a high school senior should be able to pass.

But Pace University student Tabitha Colon took the test last year and failed to get a passing score. She likened it to the English portion of the SAT and said it was "pretty difficult." Plus, she said, she was thrown off by the fact that the test was given online, rather than on paper.

"The format on the computer was a bit confusing," she said.

Colon, 21, was still able to pass thanks to a "safety net" provision that lets students demonstrate proficiency by submitting grades from a class. She is now working as a student teacher at a middle school in Ossining.

Several education professors told The Associated Press the test doesn't measure anything that isn't covered in other exams students must take, including subject matter certification tests, the SAT, the GRE and tests that are part of their coursework. Also, they said the test's $131 price tag is too steep.

Michael Middleton, dean of the Hunter College School of Education in Manhattan, said that of the battery of assessments, "It's the one that looks like it's the least related to the actual work that teachers do day to day."

Charles Sahm, the director of education policy at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, is a strong supporter of raising the bar for teachers but not a fan of this particular literacy test.

Sahm took the $20 practice exam and thought it was a poorly designed test with multiple-choice questions that seemed to have more than one correct answer.

"I do agree that it's not a great test," Sahm said. "I found the reading comprehension section to be kind of infuriating. I only got 21 out of 40 right."

A literacy test does in no way guarantee or make a good teacher. At all.
And it seems the critics are correct in saying that it's a poorly constructed test that doesn't really test anything of value or relate to a persons teaching ability.

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Sounds like the libs need to fucking work harder. If you can't pass the test, seems to me they just aren't qualified.

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Because all tests are flawless, perfect and always fill their function...

[Deleted]

Sounds like the right move. If tests were negatively impacting one race (which it shouldn't, one race isn't smarter than others) ... there is a problem with the test, so removing the test is the correct answer if a replacement is yet viable. Work on a replacement and once one is made, require that teachers hired when the test wasn't in place take the new test. If they fail, they are required to try again and a second failure means loss of their job.

I see no problem here.

Where did you get that? In the latest SJW news? Educate yourself
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_intelligence

[Puremallace]

But the literacy test raised alarms from the beginning because just 46 percent of Hispanic test takers and 41 percent of black test takers passed it on the first try, compared with 64 percent of white candidates.

Interesting point here is the failure rate of what is considered white applicants was pretty rough also.

[ItachiZaku]

A literacy test does in no way guarantee or make a good teacher. At all.
And it seems the critics are correct in saying that it's a poorly constructed test that doesn't really test anything of value or relate to a persons teaching ability.

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Because all tests are flawless, perfect and always fill their function...

Not all tests. Qualifications for something as important as teacher should have very high standards.

[zenkai]

I work in the education industry, writing software that evaluates the effectiveness of teachers in their classrooms. As much as this news boils my piss, it isn't really news... A lot of states and school districts try to dance around our tests because it results in people getting laid off. Education in America's public school system truly is fucked. If you love your kids and you live in America, private school them. Trust me on this; I've seen the numbers.

Best advice ever, having gone to Public and Private school, I am thankful for my private school years.

[Slythan]

I work in the education industry, writing software that evaluates the effectiveness of teachers in their classrooms. As much as this news boils my piss, it isn't really news... A lot of states and school districts try to dance around our tests because it results in people getting laid off. Education in America's public school system truly is fucked. If you love your kids and you live in America, private school them. Trust me on this; I've seen the numbers.

You realize that private schools do not need to follow government regulations for teacher certification or training? Most private schools pay less and have lower requirements than public schools. Causing most decent teachers to avoid them which creates a lovely cycle.

I really don't get the hipster, american education is the worst ever sentiment. When compared, fairly, we rate in the middle of most developed countries. Not too bad considering how absolutely toxic our culture has become about Education.

[Radeghost]

Sounds like the right move. If tests were negatively impacting one race (which it shouldn't, one race isn't smarter than others) ... there is a problem with the test

Top fucking kek

"Problem with the test" lol of course

[Shadowferal]

Correction, it's up to the kids to desire to do the coursework. Adults can force them all they want, but most kids are not going to retain it (for long) if they don't want to.

NO. Kids don't have rights.
Parents do.
And if parents can't do anything about their children then they have no business in parenting to begin with.

This country is so fucked. My kids go to private schools, but what about people who can't afford that?

That's why government defunds the public school system. So when the system gets screwed over because of the lack of funding, they then can point at it and say "It sucks so lets put the money in charter schools instead..." which of course they are invested in...and they keep the poor in their place ensuring they never leave poverty. So it's a win-win for them.