This site is intended for UConn TCPCG Science Methods students. We will use this to communicate, share materials, and stay organized.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
What does 11.5% of Hartford students passing the science CAPT mean to you?
I think of this in terms of an "average classroom" . If you have 30 students in a class, essentially 26 of them are failing this exam. Who is failing? Teachers, students, parents, admin? What can we do to help?
It is unfortunate and a little sad that I was not surprised by the results. I would like to blame teachers, administrators and parents, but that is unrealistic. These are lower socioeconomic areas and I am wondering how much that has an effect on parent involvement and time (they are most likely working often) and how much teachers can do if they are being pressured to teach to a test by administrators. It is frustrating because I cannot think of solutions that the classroom teacher can implement on their own without the support of parents and administration.
I couldn't believe it when I read the comment posted before the data! How can I not compare scores of schools from districts that are very different socioeconomically when all the data is right there in front of me? On a more positive note, it is nice to see that the percent of students reaching goal for science in the state has increased over the past year. Look at Norwich- the percent of students reaching goal in science increased 10.4% from 2007 to 2008- not bad. I'm sure when all of us TCPCGers are teaching in schools the percentage will definitely continue to increase! :)
An overall comment about the results... What is Canton doing different to have a 15%-20% increase in all subjects? Is is something that can be done across the state to increase scores??
Paul, I too am thinking in the same line. I was reading this article in the courant.com http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-capt0716.artjul16,0,4349677.story where the Prinipal said it was not only because of the academically strong class but also due to some strategies which gave them the gains. For example, instead of cramming 9 tests in five days as done earlier, This year students took 9 tests in nine days which I think will definitely yield better results, specially among special education students which form a significant percentage of student population. Did Hartford Public school follow the same pattern? Another strategy like- "Students may practice CAPT-type essays in music, art, even physical education." can really help students who can relate to their cultures. Canton Public school has set a realistic example for other school districts. I think besides socio-economic diversity there are other factors which contribute to school successes. I was just comparing the Brick- by Brick report http://www.cantonschools.org/index.shtml . A comparison among the best performance school can make us think in a different perspective instead of just looking into the socio economic side. Why does the performance vary even among the schools which has similar or less cost in education. This is something to reflect upon.
I have to be honest, it is numbers like these and the correlation between SES and student achievement that worries me about going into the Waterbury school system for student teaching. I love the vision I have of being able to relate to students more than their previous science teachers and reversing this trend, I think we all do. It will not be easy, but with all of the strategies that we are learning in all of the courses in this program, I feel that we will be well armed to start the upward trend.
It was encouraging for me to see Region 8 (RHAM, my HS) on the list for one of the most improved from last year.
Overall, I'm not surprised by the results either. If there was a way to model what schools like Weston, Ridgefield, and Simsbury are doing in the classrooms, that might start us in the right direction. While I don't mean to say money=success, its hard not to look at this data and correlate the two. Budgets aside, looking into each of the classrooms and seeing the methods of instruction, materials that are used, and ways of assessment might reveal a good starting point for improving some of the low scores.
I think we have to be careful when we question the relationship between socioeconomic class and parental support/involvement. As teachers, I feel the biggest contribution we can make is in the classroom. I read a paper once about how many inner city teachers have low expectations of their students- they don't believe their students have the skills, background, motivation or interest to succeed at science. So they offer them a 'pedagogy of poverty' and, because of these low expectations, many students become self-fulfilling prophecies and this can be reflected on standardized tests like CAPT. This is just one of many factors that affect inner city schools... but as beginning teachers, I think it is important to think about how something as simple as our expectations can profoundly impact our students...
as upsetting as these results are it not surprising to me. these tests do not accurately represent student knowledge and are often geared to a specific bracket of students in a particular SES or culture or ethnicity. since we know that Hartford has a large population of minority students its clear that they will test differently than students in other districts. and i agree with allison, just wait until we are infiltrating the classrooms!
I was not surprised by these results either. Unfortuantly, the resources are not there and I think it needs to be a joint effort made by parents, teachers, administration, and students before significant changes can be made.
I agree with many of you in that I am not surprised with the results-- which is unfortunate. Since many people are not surprised, it makes me think that many (I'm not trying to point fingers) people subconsciously do not expect these students to do well. I think it will be easier for us to go into a classroom and hold higher expectations for OUR students than it is for us to look in as outsiders. Society in general does not expect students in lower SES areas to do well, and unfortunately, the kids know this. I suppose this is the beginning of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Also...I believe one of the main factors that causes differences in scores is SES, but more specifically it is the amount of "access" available from an early age. Students living with parents who understand science, or do science, or have time and money to spend on recreational science activities, or simply have the confidence to help students with their science homework have an obvious advantage in preparation for science curriculum.
I think that it is important for us to question what "rich schools" do that "poor schools" do not, but taking into consideration that studnts in richer areas likely have more preparation for science, I think it may be equally or more beneficial to see what schools are doing to simply improve their scores.
I agree with meg's comment about the "pedagogy of poverty." Many teachers feel that they cannot make a big difference in the lives of their students no matter how hard they try and their attitude on this situation is obvious. Students know whether or not you believe in their ability to achieve greatness and if you don't support them and push them towards success in any way that is possible, their abilities to achieve success will be greatly limited. Just because students are from a low SES that does not mean that they are not capable of high achievement.
13 comments:
It is unfortunate and a little sad that I was not surprised by the results. I would like to blame teachers, administrators and parents, but that is unrealistic. These are lower socioeconomic areas and I am wondering how much that has an effect on parent involvement and time (they are most likely working often) and how much teachers can do if they are being pressured to teach to a test by administrators. It is frustrating because I cannot think of solutions that the classroom teacher can implement on their own without the support of parents and administration.
What is interesting about most of the data is that there is a direct relationship between SES and "achievement". Isn't that interesting.
I couldn't believe it when I read the comment posted before the data! How can I not compare scores of schools from districts that are very different socioeconomically when all the data is right there in front of me? On a more positive note, it is nice to see that the percent of students reaching goal for science in the state has increased over the past year. Look at Norwich- the percent of students reaching goal in science increased 10.4% from 2007 to 2008- not bad. I'm sure when all of us TCPCGers are teaching in schools the percentage will definitely continue to increase! :)
An overall comment about the results... What is Canton doing different to have a 15%-20% increase in all subjects? Is is something that can be done across the state to increase scores??
Paul,
I too am thinking in the same line. I was reading this article in the courant.com http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-capt0716.artjul16,0,4349677.story where the Prinipal said it was not only because of the academically strong class but also due to some strategies which gave them the gains. For example, instead of cramming 9 tests in five days as done earlier, This year students took 9 tests in nine days which I think will definitely yield better results, specially among special education students which form a significant percentage of student population. Did Hartford Public school follow the same pattern? Another strategy like- "Students may practice CAPT-type essays in music, art, even physical education." can really help students who can relate to their cultures. Canton Public school has set a realistic example for other school districts. I think besides socio-economic diversity there are other factors which contribute to school successes. I was just comparing the Brick- by Brick report http://www.cantonschools.org/index.shtml . A comparison among the best performance school can make us think in a different perspective instead of just looking into the socio economic side. Why does the performance vary even among the schools which has similar or less cost in education. This is something to reflect upon.
I have to be honest, it is numbers like these and the correlation between SES and student achievement that worries me about going into the Waterbury school system for student teaching. I love the vision I have of being able to relate to students more than their previous science teachers and reversing this trend, I think we all do. It will not be easy, but with all of the strategies that we are learning in all of the courses in this program, I feel that we will be well armed to start the upward trend.
It was encouraging for me to see Region 8 (RHAM, my HS) on the list for one of the most improved from last year.
Overall, I'm not surprised by the results either. If there was a way to model what schools like Weston, Ridgefield, and Simsbury are doing in the classrooms, that might start us in the right direction. While I don't mean to say money=success, its hard not to look at this data and correlate the two. Budgets aside, looking into each of the classrooms and seeing the methods of instruction, materials that are used, and ways of assessment might reveal a good starting point for improving some of the low scores.
I think we have to be careful when we question the relationship between socioeconomic class and parental support/involvement. As teachers, I feel the biggest contribution we can make is in the classroom. I read a paper once about how many inner city teachers have low expectations of their students- they don't believe their students have the skills, background, motivation or interest to succeed at science. So they offer them a 'pedagogy of poverty' and, because of these low expectations, many students become self-fulfilling prophecies and this can be reflected on standardized tests like CAPT. This is just one of many factors that affect inner city schools... but as beginning teachers, I think it is important to think about how something as simple as our expectations can profoundly impact our students...
All good comments. I have also heard of districts "tanking" tests, so they can improve the next year. Nice.
as upsetting as these results are it not surprising to me. these tests do not accurately represent student knowledge and are often geared to a specific bracket of students in a particular SES or culture or ethnicity. since we know that Hartford has a large population of minority students its clear that they will test differently than students in other districts. and i agree with allison, just wait until we are infiltrating the classrooms!
I was not surprised by these results either. Unfortuantly, the resources are not there and I think it needs to be a joint effort made by parents, teachers, administration, and students before significant changes can be made.
I agree with many of you in that I am not surprised with the results-- which is unfortunate. Since many people are not surprised, it makes me think that many (I'm not trying to point fingers) people subconsciously do not expect these students to do well. I think it will be easier for us to go into a classroom and hold higher expectations for OUR students than it is for us to look in as outsiders. Society in general does not expect students in lower SES areas to do well, and unfortunately, the kids know this. I suppose this is the beginning of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Also...I believe one of the main factors that causes differences in scores is SES, but more specifically it is the amount of "access" available from an early age. Students living with parents who understand science, or do science, or have time and money to spend on recreational science activities, or simply have the confidence to help students with their science homework have an obvious advantage in preparation for science curriculum.
I think that it is important for us to question what "rich schools" do that "poor schools" do not, but taking into consideration that studnts in richer areas likely have more preparation for science, I think it may be equally or more beneficial to see what schools are doing to simply improve their scores.
I agree with meg's comment about the "pedagogy of poverty." Many teachers feel that they cannot make a big difference in the lives of their students no matter how hard they try and their attitude on this situation is obvious. Students know whether or not you believe in their ability to achieve greatness and if you don't support them and push them towards success in any way that is possible, their abilities to achieve success will be greatly limited. Just because students are from a low SES that does not mean that they are not capable of high achievement.
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