state.nj.us/education/assessment/hs/njbct.shtml This is the link I can click on the get information about the NJBCT - end of course Biology exam. A simple Google search will uncover a letter from a school district informing parents that this test was intended to be a graduation requirement. The attached document shows school performance. There are other links that will reveal that between 2010 - 2013 at least 40% of students - at least 40,000 children - each year are unable to pass this test. Of course, districts like ours have # s like only 19 % were partially proficient - still almost 1 in 5 students at SBHS would not have obtained a passing score. SB is ranked I in the data table - a ranking that in large part considers the demographics of the population. I teach middle school in a CD district - almost 60% of the students rank Partially Proficient. This post is not only to inform, but to inquire, why with these stats has this test been removed from the list of graduation requirements when the PARCC - virtually untested, and in areas where it has been tested shows similar percentages of partially proficient - will require students to pass when they probably wont. OK, so it is one of the tests that can be used to determine graduation requirements. How many of the 60% of the students in a poor community still recovering from Hurricane Sandy will take the SAT, when college attendance may deny the family the additional income to provide food for the family? My dad is brilliant - never scored less than a 98 in school - ever. He was born post depression, and spent his elementary school years living through WWII. He was drafted, etc and didnt marry my mom until he was 28 - in large part because he needed to help contribute to the family. They were able to move out of a 1 BR apt - he is the oldest of 3 - when he went to work instead of college after high school. Seriously - can anyone explain why passing the NJBCT was removed from the list of graduation requirements - without insulting me by saying science skills do not promote college and career readiness? My full academic scholarship to study pre-med at Seton Hall indicates otherwise - and yes - I chose teaching. Maybe this answer will help further the debate over the use of PARCC with THIS YEARS juniors - many of whom have not taken a standardized test - certainly not if they followed the Physics - Chemistry - Biology sequence recommended because they were advanced math students in middle school? If not, can somebody direct me to someone who can? This teacher and mother plans to use her time off very wisely. Thank you for reading to this point, and I welcome both comments and information.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 10:32:03 +0000