On test, students can get 77% of answers wrong

[John Harrell <johnbharrell@yahoo.com>]

I dont know how much people are aware of the current "standards",
individual courses, and related school activities, that are being
thrust upon our children across our country. So as I see something of 
interest, I will send it to vision2020@moscow.com so that those here 
can at least be aware of why so many parents are deciding that the 
government schools are not in the best interest for their children.

And before someone says it can't happen here, I will remind people
of the recent diversity training for children in Pullman as 
described in the Moscow Pullman Daily News, second sentence of the
article where it proudly stated that even for boys it is ok to wear 
fingernail polish, or some such nonsense. Anyway, not with my boys 
will they be subject to such nonsense. And for the college students, 
they were recently treated to the "Vagina Monologues" at the UI. At 
least the college students are not required to attend such nonsense, 
but such garbage has been required for the younger students at many
schools across the country.

--------

Here is the first article:

Don't know much about history to pass exam 
On test, students can get 77% of answers wrong 

The Baltimore Sun
Associated Press 
Originally published May 31, 2002 
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.history31may31.story?coll=bal%2Dnationworld%2Dheadlines

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - You can get three-quarters of the answers 
wrong and still pass this test. Palm Beach County high school students 
taking a new history exam this week need to answer just 23 of 100 
multiple-choice questions correctly to pass. 

To get an A, they need to get just over half the answers right. 
A B grade requires only 39 correct answers. 

The new final exam for American and world history classes was 
developed by school district officials to ensure students learn 
state-required lessons that include history about women, Africans, 
African-Americans and the Holocaust. 

The 100-question test, specific to Palm Beach County, replaces 
individual final exams that teachers create themselves. The 
district, which recommended the grading scale, sent letters to 
schools giving them the option to use it on the new test. 

Many said they will, while teachers in some schools said the 
issue hasn't yet been discussed. It will be for this year only. 

But some teachers were concerned about the low passing scale. 

"I don't think if you administer a valid test and a kid misses 
half of the questions, that they should pass," said Thomas 
O'Brien, a social studies teacher at Lake Worth High School. 

School board member Debra Robinson, who introduced the idea 
of using a standardized history exam last fall, said she 
accepts the grading scale this year, because it's the first 
time the district is using the exam. 

Final exams are worth 20 percent of a student's grade.


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