Committee stops effort to lower grad age
Posted Thursday, February 25, 2010
Students will have to stay in school until they graduate or
turn 18, members of House Education decided Monday. The 9-5 vote turns back an
effort, found in HB 1168, to reverse a law passed in 2007 that increased the
state’s compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18.
The bill’s prime sponsor, Rep. Kristi Noem, R-Castlewood, made
a reasoned case for the repeal.
She argued that requiring school attendance until age 18
isn’t proven to improve graduation rates and stands in the way of a family’s
choice to manage their child’s education. Rep. Noem also questioned whether
schools were up to the challenge of meeting the needs of students who struggle
to stay in school.
The Castlewood lawmaker was the only one to speak for the bill before a wave of
opponents lined up against HB 1168. Representatives of the Department of
Education, Department of Corrections, school boards, school administrators,
large schools, small schools and teachers all asked lawmakers to defeat the
bill.
Wade Pogany, the director of assessment and technology for
the education department, was the sharpest in his criticism, challenging
lawmakers to stick with state’s policy.
“Leadership is not about doing what’s convenient,” Pogany
said, admitting that schools will have a tougher job under the new law but
insisting that the state's education systems are up to the job. He spoke at length about
how schools have prepared for the law to take effect and asked lawmakers to
give schools more time to work.
A teacher by trade, Rep. Jim Bolin, R-Canton, outlined his
support for the repeal by suggesting his colleagues have thanked him for not
supporting the “line of the educational establishment.” He challenged the
notion that the law can make a difference for kids.
“Family, moral and spiritual issues are just as important as
a compulsory attendance effort by the state,” he said.
Committee members weren’t ready to abandon the compulsory attendance
law, which only took effect last July.
After acknowledging the difficulty of educating students
at-risk of dropping out, Rep. Bill Van Gerpen, R-Tyndall, explained that a vote
against the legislation was a vote of confidence in the state’s public schools.
“Schools are willing to take-up the challenge because of
their sincere concern for children,” he said.
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ACT scores: Let's take a look.
Posted Wednesday, August 19, 2009
South Dakota students once again scored above the national average on the ACT test. Scores didn't improve, but they held steady. Good news, for certain.
We frequently write congratulatory posts, but we're going to make a point with this one – especially while the data is so fresh and easily searchable.
Let's talk about education funding.
Some against devoting additional funding to K-12 education argue that money doesn't equal outcomes. Expenditures can't be related to student results, they say.
And, when opponents of increased funding make that argument, they often compare South Dakota, ranked among the lowest in per-student education expenditures, to Washington, D.C, which consistently has the highest per-student expenditures in the nation.
The point of the opponents' argument: South Dakota spends less while performing better on standardized tests. Which is true, in a way.
But, consider this. The chart below shows average ACT scores for sub-groups of students, broken down by ethnicity.
|
|
South Dakota |
D.C |
National |
|
All Students |
22.0 |
19.4 |
21.1 |
|
Caucasian |
22.4 |
26.2 |
22.2 |
|
African American |
17.3 |
15.7 |
16.9 |
|
American Indian |
17.6 |
16.6 |
18.9 |
|
Hispanic |
20.9 |
19.5 |
18.7 |
Though South Dakota compares well to the national average, and particularly to D.C., in the "All Students" category, taking apart the numbers shows a different trend.
Caucasian students in D.C. score better than their peers in South Dakota. Much better, actually.
Here's the difference. In South Dakota, Caucasian students, who traditionally fare better than the national average on standardized tests, represent about 84 percent of the student population. In D.C., African American students, who traditionally don't score well on standardized tests, make up about...84 percent of the student population.
Now, there's a lot to be said about achievement gaps, the need to close achievement gaps, and the high cost of educating students who live in poverty. But, the data just begs the question, if four out of every five students in South Dakota come from a sub-group that traditionally scores higher on standardized tests, then does it help create the impression that our students out-perform students in other states?
In the same line of thought: Are the majority of South Dakota students prepared to compete against college seeking students in other states?
There's no question South Dakota schools do a remarkable job with the resources provided. But, when we see statistics like this, it makes us wonder what our students could achieve if we adequately funded our schools.
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