Wow...As if our current state of educational affairs isn't bad enough?

[LunaLee]

Shorter year for California Schools

 

So once again California proves that their bottom line is more important that anything else.

[creativish]

:scared: wow.

[Mejane]

I don't know that their bottom line "is more important"; it simply is what it is. I hate to see such cuts, too, but if there's no money, there's no money.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Shorter year for California Schools

 

So once again California proves that their bottom line is more important that anything else.

 

DH was on a trip last week and brought home a Hawaii paper. One of the articles was on the legislative battle over whether the state schools should be required to move to providing an average of 5 hours of instruction per school day (averaged over the school year). I think the stats were that only 23 % of state public schools met this mark (though some were only shy about 10 min per day).

 

The target for high schools was 5.5 hours/day averaged. None met this mark.

 

Hawaii chose to fix a budget hole by having "furlough Fridays" where school was not held 1-2 Fridays a month. The savings was in teacher pay.

 

I try not to use the deficits of govenment schools to justify my slacking off. But sometimes I wonder what I think I'm comparing our homeschool to.

[vonfirmath]

I don't know that their bottom line "is more important"; it simply is what it is. I hate to see such cuts, too, but if there's no money, there's no money.

 

This. Right now, many states are having to make very hard decisions.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I don't know that their bottom line "is more important"; it simply is what it is. I hate to see such cuts, too, but if there's no money, there's no money.

 

I'd agree that you can't just keep going into deficits or expect that the money will come from somewhere.

 

On the other hand, I think most districts spend money very unwisely.

 

I always wonder, for example about the expenditures on technology like smart boards. It's not the board that makes you smart. Robert Goddard and Albert Einstein made ample use of chalk boards and paper.

[Mejane]

On the other hand, I think most districts spend money very unwisely.

 

I always wonder, for example about the expenditures on technology like smart boards. It's not the board that makes you smart. Robert Goddard and Albert Einstein made ample use of chalk boards and paper.

 

:iagree: Absolutely.

[LunaLee]

Oh, I honestly believe their bottom line is more importatnt. I've lived here my enitire life and over the years I have supported almost every single tax increase and measure to cut funding (including library closures) that has come down the lines, but this is absurd. There are other ways to find the money.

[TXMary2]

I don't know that their bottom line "is more important"; it simply is what it is. I hate to see such cuts, too, but if there's no money, there's no money.

 

 

I'd bet the farm there is millions, if not billions in waste that they could cut. Special interests rule the day. The politicians aren't going to cut anything that is lining their pockets.

 

One example: "eliminating salaries from certain boards and commissions that make over $100,000 a year for one to two days worth of work a month"

Edited May 4, 2011 by TXMary2

[Pippen]

I always wonder, for example about the expenditures on technology like smart boards. It's not the board that makes you smart. Robert Goddard and Albert Einstein made ample use of chalk boards and paper.

 

Bet they would have loved smart boards, though. :)

 

Our district is spending a great deal on meeting standards for No Child Left Behind. Constantly changing curriculum in all the middle schools because one isn't making the grade in an area (usually reading or writing). Lots of changes in elementary reading as well.

[Teachin'Mine]

I found this interesting:

 

"Assistant Vice Principal Carolyn Walker from Natomas Middle School said cutting the school year would be a crisis, but that teachers would rise to the challenge."

 

Not only do I think they'll rise to the challenge, but they'll be dancing in the hallways. The article mentions that they have three options to reduce costs - one being larger class size - next being cutting salaries - and third being shortening the school year. So to me it sounds like teacher salaries will remain the same and they'll have an additional 20 days of vacation. :001_huh: Let me guess that they'll rise to the challenge. :lol:

 

I can't imagine them accomplishing even less than they do - going from 175 days to 155. Good grief!

 

On edit: I did some googling and found this http://yubanet.com/california/Districts-consider-even-shorter-school-year_printer.php which explains that the teacher salaries would be cut by considering the extra days off as unpaid furlough. Mystery solved. Teachers will be losing on two counts - salary and ability to teach the material in a shorter school year.

Edited May 4, 2011 by Teachin'Mine

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I found this interesting:

 

"Assistant Vice Principal Carolyn Walker from Natomas Middle School said cutting the school year would be a crisis' date=' but that teachers would rise to the challenge."

 

Not only do I think they'll rise to the challenge, but they'll be dancing in the hallways. The article mentions that they have three options to reduce costs - one being larger class size - next being cutting salaries - and third being shortening the school year. So to me it sounds like teacher salaries will remain the same and they'll have an additional 20 days of vacation. :001_huh: Let me guess that they'll rise to the challenge. :lol:

 

I can't imagine them accomplishing even less than they do - going from 175 days to 155. Good grief![/quote']

 

Don't know how it will work in the state in the article.

 

When Hawaii cut days (Furlough Fridays) it was so they could save the cost of paying teachers those days. Spacing it out over the year rather than in a longer summer or spring break was done to comply with rules about retirement eligibility (which required a certain number of work days per qualifying month).

 

So I'm not sure that you can assume that fewer days will come at the existing annual pay.

[Carol in Cal.]

As a Californian, I am so disappointed in this thread. Most of the state has lost its property tax base. Lost it. It won't come back for years. Infrastructure is frayed already. There are towns where property values have dropped by 75%. There are others where there have been so many foreclosures that they are basically ghost towns. There are pockets of reasonable prosperity, and I count myself blessed to live in one, but I know too many people in dire straits in the Central Valley to be sanguine about my good fortune. How about a little prayer and sympathy for those who are caught in those circumstances?

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Bet they would have loved smart boards, though. :)

 

Our district is spending a great deal on meeting standards for No Child Left Behind. Constantly changing curriculum in all the middle schools because one isn't making the grade in an area (usually reading or writing). Lots of changes in elementary reading as well.

 

I think one of the huge negatives to the way school curriculum is designed, marketed and sold is that there are many unrelated concepts that are bundled together. For example in language arts, you can't drop the reading texts without also losing your writing curriculum.

[joannqn]

On the other hand, I think most districts spend money very unwisely.

 

I always wonder, for example about the expenditures on technology like smart boards. It's not the board that makes you smart. Robert Goddard and Albert Einstein made ample use of chalk boards and paper.

 

:iagree:

 

 

Elementary kids need to be learning the three R's. They don't need to be spending time on keyboarding, power point presentations, and how to put together a newscast. All of the emphasis on technology is ridiculous. Of course, that ridiculousness started years ago. Even at 18, I was appalled when my boyfriend's younger sister was learning to use a calculator in third grade instead of learning her basic math facts. She couldn't even add and subtract on her fingers because the calculator was emphasized so much. Cross another expense off the list: calculators for all of the third grade students...and every other math classes below algebra 2.

[Teachin'Mine]

Don't know how it will work in the state in the article.

 

When Hawaii cut days (Furlough Fridays) it was so they could save the cost of paying teachers those days. Spacing it out over the year rather than in a longer summer or spring break was done to comply with rules about retirement eligibility (which required a certain number of work days per qualifying month).

 

So I'm not sure that you can assume that fewer days will come at the existing annual pay.

 

You're right, they will be unpaid days. I had thought that maybe they saved enough by not having the utilities used, busing the students, cafeteria workers, support staff, etc. so they could keep the teacher salaries the same. Didn't sound right, so I googled and came up with the link in my post which explains more.

[Surfside Academy]

The state of education in California is a joke. I've lived here all my life so I have seen firsthand the decline. I can't tell you how many "unsolicited" times I've heard from actual teachers that they won't put their own kids in CA public schools. My son has friends who equate their junior high with being in jail. It's very sad!

 

They're putting 35-40 kids in each elementary class even though voters mandated a maximum of 20. $$ is being spent on cultural awareness and how to go green instead of on the 3 R's. I live in what's considered on of the best school districts in San Diego but yet, science is only taught if the parents pony up more $$ to pay for an outside teacher! The teacher's hands are tied with useless curriculum that must be taught so the kids can score highly on the ever-important standardized tests. Real learning is secondary...Yet in the midst of this crisis, the CA Teacher's Union feels it's important to spend time officially supporting the release of a convicted cop killer. It's mind-boggling...:confused:

[In The Great White North]

One of the articles was on the legislative battle over whether the state schools should be required to move to providing an average of 5 hours of instruction per school day (averaged over the school year)

I'm a bit surprised it's this high.

 

Back in the day, in a Detroit suburb during the hey day of the auto industry before any plants moved south, my high school only allowed each student 5 classes per semester. At 50 minutes each, we only got 4 hours 10 minutes of class a day.

Edited May 4, 2011 by In The Great White North

[CatMomof3]

I am witnessing first hand the lack of education in my district. I run a Brownie girl scout troop (2nd & 3rd grade), and every time we work on a badge that requires basic math or writing I have to turn into a teacher. I am amazed their inability to read, write, and do basic math. For instance this past week we were writing a get well card for one of the girls, not 1 (except my dd) spelled every word right. They were writing sentences such as "get wel son" OR "we mis yu" :001_huh:. And don't get me started on math :glare:.

 

But frankly I would not be surprised if they shortened the year.

 

I have had several moms ask me to tutor their dds. I feel bad that I can't but I just don't have the time.

[twoforjoy]

I'm a it surprised it's this high.

 

Back in the day, in a Detroit suburb during the hey day of the auto industry before any plants moved south, my high school only allowed each student 5 classes per semester. At 50 minutes each, we only got 4 hours 10 minutes of class a day.

 

Things have definitely changed. Detroit public elementary schools now run from 9-4 daily. And, from what I understand, most schools have a very abbreviated lunch period, no recess, and no daily gym class, and many students attend before-school programs. It's a very long school day, IMO.

[Desert Rat]

In Southern Nevada, they are shortening the school days. I'm not a fan.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Things have definitely changed. Detroit public elementary schools now run from 9-4 daily. And, from what I understand, most schools have a very abbreviated lunch period, no recess, and no daily gym class, and many students attend before-school programs. It's a very long school day, IMO.

 

I think some of the pressure to keep the school day long is to keep the kids occupied while parents are at work.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I'm a it surprised it's this high.

 

Back in the day, in a Detroit suburb during the hey day of the auto industry before any plants moved south, my high school only allowed each student 5 classes per semester. At 50 minutes each, we only got 4 hours 10 minutes of class a day.

 

Really? I was pretty sure that I had six classes (4 before lunch and 2 after). But my brain may well be foggy.

[Mejane]

Really? I was pretty sure that I had six classes (4 before lunch and 2 after). But my brain may well be foggy.

 

We had seven periods of fifty minutes each. That plus lunch and three minutes between classes brought our day to around seven hours.

[Mabelen]

My children actually attend public school in California at one of the better districts. I am fortunate enough that I can and will pick up the slack as best I can. The shorter school year will give me more days to afterschool so on a personal level I am happy because I really enjoy our afterschooling time. However, I still feel saddened by the shorter school year. Regardless of how we feel personally about public school it provides a very important service. Those kids who go to public school whose parents won't be able to pick up the slack are part of our country and our society. We all are affected by these measures.

[In The Great White North]

Really? I was pretty sure that I had six classes (4 before lunch and 2 after). But my brain may well be foggy.

 

Our district had a mandatory study hall. They preferred it to be first or last period so the kids would not come in (or need a bus.) So, 5 classes. 20 minutes lunch. I went to school from 8 to 1.

[BabyBre]

Well, I do hope the oponents of this law have better arguments than these!

 

 

Parents said if the idea become law it would cheat their children out of an education.

 

Newsflash: Their kids are already being cheated out of an education.

 

 

"It's not right. Our kids basically need more education as it is," said Duruisseau.

 

More of the same failing system isn't what they need. They need better education, not more crappy education.

 

 

This and all the other cuts and threats of cuts are diversions from the real issues of the broken public education system. They surely won't help, but not much that leaves the current system intact will.

[KrissiK]

This is really the least of California's budgetary problems. However, the powers that be have found that if you say you're going to slash educational funding or police/fire you can raise taxes quite easily. THose are the sacred cows. Who cares that the criminals in our prisons have better health care than most of the rest of us. There are so many ridiculous thing that our state spends money on and then when they run out they wring their hands and shake their heads and say, "Well, this is our only option!" Our state is so messed up starting with a legislature that is addicted to spending. We would leave this place in a heartbeat if it wasn't for our extended families.

[twoforjoy]

However, I still feel saddened by the shorter school year. Regardless of how we feel personally about public school it provides a very important service. Those kids who go to public school whose parents won't be able to pick up the slack are part of our country and our society. We all are affected by these measures.

 

I'm a big supporter of our public education system; I come from a long line of public school teachers, and while it's not the right fit for our family, I am extremely grateful for the service public schools and public school teachers provide. However, I can't say I'm saddened by the idea of a shorter school year (or shorter school days), especially at the elementary level. I don't think more time in school is going to fix any educational issues; so much of the day is filled with busy work rather than learning, and I just don't see students being hurt by going for fewer hours. It might certainly cause logistical problems for parents, who now have to arrange for day care for more of the year, but if we really need 7 hours a day, 180 days a year to teach elementary-school-aged children the basic skills we feel they need, then I can't help but think that maybe we should scale back on what we're having them do.

 

My DS was in a charter school for part of kindergarten, which followed the guidelines of the local public schools for instructional time. In kindergarten they were expected to have 120 minutes of language arts, 120 minutes of math, 60 minutes of science, and 60 minutes of social studies daily. That seems absolutely insane to me. If you spend that much time on these subjects, you are either going to be boring students with busy work or saddling them with so much information that they won't retain any of it, or both, and unfortunately that does seem to be what's happening.

 

I'd rather see students spend less time in school and have that time be better spent. I think leaving teachers to try to figure out how to fill 6-7 hours of instructional time each day is just a recipe for educational disaster. If I had to come up with 6-7 hours of lesson plans for DS each day--heck, if I even had to come up wtih 3-4 hours of lesson plans--I'd absolutely be filling our day with boring busy work, more information that he could possibly make any meaningful sense of, and pointless activities. The important, meaningful content I wanted to get across would get lost in all of that.

[Ellie]

We had seven periods of fifty minutes each. That plus lunch and three minutes between classes brought our day to around seven hours.

I attended three junior high schools and four high schools in four states.

 

All except the last one had six class periods each day, plus lunch.

 

The first high school I attended (10th grade; 9th grade was junior high) study hall was mandatory except under rare circumstances, so for most students it was 5 classes and one study hall.

 

The school from which I graduated had 7 class periods plus lunch. Many students had more than one study hall; mine was right before lunch, and attendance was optional. I took a long lunch. :-)

 

I haven't any idea what time school started or ended. It was a heckalong time ago. :lol: I just know that of all the schools I attended from 7th on, there were 6 class periods each day (except for the last which was 7 class periods).

[Teachin'Mine]

I think we'll be seeing more first time homeschoolers from California.

[twoforjoy]

I think we'll be seeing more first time homeschoolers from California.

 

Why?

 

That's a genuine question. I can see longer school days and longer school years pushing more parents to homeschool, but not necessarily shorter ones. If anything, a shorter school year gives parents more time to work with their child at home while they still attend school.

[Haiku]

Parents said if the idea become law it would cheat their children out of an education. Tim Duruisseau has two children at Natomas Middle School in North Natomas. "It's not right. Our kids basically need more education as it is," said Duruisseau. "It wouldn't be fair for the kids anyway. How are they going to learn and how are they going to have a future?"

 

(bolding mine)

 

Sorry, but I find this who snippet laughable, but especially the bolded part. This guy seriously is questioning how his kids will learn if they aren't in school? People seriously think their kids will be cheated out of an education if they are in school for 20 fewer days? Are these people really so brainwashed that they can't conceive of their kids learning outside of school?

 

Honestly, if these parents are really so concerned about their kids' educations, maybe ... just maybe ... oh, no, it couldn't be ... well, could they? ... just maybe? ... help their kids at home?

 

I mean, they don't even have to full-on homeschool ... they could just ... provide their kids with some resources ... and spend some time with them on those resources.

 

In the interest of full disclosure, I think school days should be shorter and there should be less fluff in schools. So I'm not at all appalled by this idea.

 

Tara

[Teachin'Mine]

If mom is working and now there will be an additional month for which they will have to pay for childcare, it may no longer be cost effective to work. In general, unhappy teachers are not the best teachers. We had a semi-strike at our highschool years ago, and it was not a happy environment. Teachers showed up to teach, but did nothing extra - no afterschool help, etc.. I don't think teachers will be happy with this arrangement since they will have less time to meet the teaching requirements and will be getting reduced pay. For some for whom the pay isn't critical, the extra vacation time may be welcomed, but I think overall it will stress a lot of the teachers.

 

I think it may just be that added incentive for some families to give homeschooling a try. I don't think this will be unique to California as the budget constraints are being felt everywhere.

[CAMom]

This is really the least of California's budgetary problems. However, the powers that be have found that if you say you're going to slash educational funding or police/fire you can raise taxes quite easily. THose are the sacred cows.

 

BINGO!!

 

If they threaten to cut education of police/fire, they will distract people from the real issue of stupid spending in other areas!:glare:

[Surfside Academy]

I just had a friend (PTA president, in charge of fundraising for the school) call me this week asking about homeschooling because she is so worried about her oldest son who is moving up to Junior High. She is a single mother who lives in a "strong" school district. She also has a 1st grade son who is floundering in school. He's been tested but doesn't fall into range for a "diagnosis." He isn't reading yet, is having behavioral issues and is falling behind. Yet, she was told that he can't receive any additional help until he is a full 2 years behind! This poor kid is only in 1st grade and is already being set up for failure! How can he ever catch up after falling 2 years behind in school. Again, it's mind-boggling.

[Brilliant]

As a Californian, I am so disappointed in this thread. Most of the state has lost its property tax base. Lost it. It won't come back for years. Infrastructure is frayed already. There are towns where property values have dropped by 75%. There are others where there have been so many foreclosures that they are basically ghost towns. There are pockets of reasonable prosperity, and I count myself blessed to live in one, but I know too many people in dire straits in the Central Valley to be sanguine about my good fortune. How about a little prayer and sympathy for those who are caught in those circumstances?

 

:grouphug: I am in CA, too. I don't see this thread as anti-Californian?

[Carol in Cal.]

:grouphug: I am in CA, too. I don't see this thread as anti-Californian?

 

The original post struck me very hard that way.

 

Also, I know that there have been a lot of false alarms about the budget, as others have noted, where schools and safety officers were threatened to get people to cough up. However, the situation now is so much more deep than that that the argument doesn't really apply. It's no longer the case that the money is 'somewhere'. It's more the case that there just isn't enough; in fact, there is so much less than enough that it is terrifying. (It does fry me that there was so much crying wolf about this in years past when that was not true.) Still, we are people here, though Californians, and we need prayer right now. Badly. We have a pretty incompetent legistlature, and no good choices.

[Photo Ninja]

The state of CA currently requires 175 days of public school. Most districts choose 185 days. So right there, districts can shorten their school year by 10 days and still be meeting the state's minimum requirement. That's not so bad. While some districts may want to cut more, I doubt it will happen. I can't see the teacher's union agreeing to less pay for less hours. People need education, and part of that education needs to be showing them that more time spend in a classroom does not equal better education.

 

Given the poor quality of CA public schools (generally speaking), spending less time with poor curriculum and all the wasted time won't hurt most children. I would argue that eliminating the wasted time and extraneous requirements could actually increase a child's education by making better use of the time he is in the ps, even if the number of days is fewer. More of the same does not equal a better education.

 

It could be beneficial to have the number of school days cut, and teachers given the freedom to teach what they know their students need to know, the way the individual teachers know to teach, instead of the status quo of locking teachers in to teaching a set curriculum that meets the needs of few students and forces them to use curriculum that they know is not accomplishing the goal. If fewer days in school means that more time will be focused on academics, then I support it.

 

Too many people mistakenly believe that more time at school = better education.

 

I agree with some of the other posters that this is more of a budget and tax increase strategy than an actual plan. One of the best ways to get support for a tax increase (what the CA governor wants and has been trying to generate support for) is to threaten the public schools with funding cuts. Couple that with a threat of fewer school days, requiring parents to pay for more childcare, and the threat usually accomplishes the goal. I say call the bluff and let local school districts make the decision for themselves.

 

The problem is that the money never satisfies and too much money is spent in unnecessary ways. I won't support increased taxes for schools because I know that there is too much waste. I don't intend to pay more money for more waste. I know there is a need for an educated populace, but more money won't accomplish that.

 

Today a student was asking me why a school had torn up a very large interior area of grass and plants to re do it, when classes and teachers had been cut and student's can't get the classes they need. He was confused as to why this area could not have remained the way it was, which looked very nice and was a good place for students to hang out, and instead spent the money on teachers and kept more classes. He was wondering why a brand new lighted football field had just been built when the school was cutting the number of core classes and teachers. Good questions! Even students see that money is not being spent on the highest priorities. I suspect that funding was provided and had dictated where it must be spent, but I won't support higher taxes when this is how money is distributed. Schools need to make budget decisions for themselves so they can spend money to meet the highest priorities. So if cutting the school year may lead to better budgetary decisions, then bring it on.

[Mejane]

In the interest of full disclosure, I think school days should be shorter and there should be less fluff in schools. So I'm not at all appalled by this idea.

 

Tara

 

:iagree:

[DawnM]

huh, well, since the school I worked in for 17 years in CA only had 163 teacher days per year, I don't see the big deal. We just had longer school days to make up the minutes.

 

Dawn

[Carpe]

I can understand the reactions of the parents. Losing 20 days per year is losing 260 days over the child's school career (assuming they're just going into K) which is just shy of a year and a half.

 

Of course I understand that it probably will make little difference for the kids as NCLB has done serious damage to schools. There's a lot more test prep than learning it seems. So 20 days less of that is probably not a big loss.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I'd agree that you can't just keep going into deficits or expect that the money will come from somewhere.

 

On the other hand, I think most districts spend money very unwisely.

 

I always wonder, for example about the expenditures on technology like smart boards. It's not the board that makes you smart. Robert Goddard and Albert Einstein made ample use of chalk boards and paper.

 

:iagree:

[Rosie_0801]

The teacher's hands are tied with useless curriculum that must be taught so the kids can score highly on the ever-important standardized tests.

 

I wonder what can be done about this. If there must be tests, why aren't they written well so that teaching to the test is synonymous for teaching what needs to be taught?

 

Rosie

[MSNative]

I wonder what can be done about this. If there must be tests, why aren't they written well so that teaching to the test is synonymous for teaching what needs to be taught?

 

Rosie

 

I have always wondered this.

[Haiku]

I wonder what can be done about this. If there must be tests, why aren't they written well so that teaching to the test is synonymous for teaching what needs to be taught?

 

 

Because tests really don't measure what you know. They measure how well you take the test. Therefore, there is a lot of focus on test-taking strategies.

 

I worked for a textbook developer in my pre-kid days. At one point, an entire 8th grade science "curriculum" was nothing but a test-prep manual. That's it. No textbook, just a test-prep manual and lab book.

 

Tara

[Rosie_0801]

Because tests really don't measure what you know. They measure how well you take the test. Therefore, there is a lot of focus on test-taking strategies.

 

I worked for a textbook developer in my pre-kid days. At one point, an entire 8th grade science "curriculum" was nothing but a test-prep manual. That's it. No textbook, just a test-prep manual and lab book.

 

Tara

 

You don't think test writers could do a better job? Obviously it is not possible to have a panel of testers tour the country and hold personal conversations with every school student, but surely it is possible to do a better job? When hubby was teaching, he used to be really frustrated with the teaching to the test he had to do, but one item on the test was greetings and leave taking routines (this was for a language.) That is a sensible thing to put on a test.

 

Rosie

[Barb_]

This is really the least of California's budgetary problems. However, the powers that be have found that if you say you're going to slash educational funding or police/fire you can raise taxes quite easily. THose are the sacred cows. Who cares that the criminals in our prisons have better health care than most of the rest of us. There are so many ridiculous thing that our state spends money on and then when they run out they wring their hands and shake their heads and say, "Well, this is our only option!" Our state is so messed up starting with a legislature that is addicted to spending. We would leave this place in a heartbeat if it wasn't for our extended families.

 

You hit the nail square on the head. The AZ legislature threatened to shrink our police and fire departments last year. Surprise! It worked. "Temporary" sales tax increase that will likely be as permanent as the last temporary increases.

 

Barb

[Haiku]

You don't think test writers could do a better job?

 

Not when they are trying to create a test that measures what a whole country of 3rd graders, for example, "know."

 

Standardized tests are weird. Working for the textbook development company (which is not, btw, the same thing as a textbook publishing company; publishing companies hire development companies to write their textbooks) is a big part of what made me decide to homeschool. Textbooks are weird, too.

 

Tara

[Rosie_0801]

Not when they are trying to create a test that measures what a whole country of 3rd graders, for example, "know."

 

I can see a reason for literacy and numeracy tests. What else are they testing?

 

Rosie