Perhaps I wasn’t clear. Again, “…re “proficiency” inflation outpacing “scale score” inflation, from both a state-wide and city-only perspective. ”

In short, that suggests grade inflation, in other words, a lowering of the threshold to be considered “proficient.”

“Proficiency Inflation” (to splice the issues) is NOT a good thing, and certainly when the puppet-masters use it as a surrogate for real improvements in learning, and by extension, as vindication for re-orgs, more frequent standardized testing, and…. the steam-rolling of term limits.

And since you bring it up yet again, race does NOT enter into the above diagnosis of Proficiency Inflation. (Apologies to skoolboy for butchering and repackaging it.) I’m not shy; I simply can’t speak directly to your admittedly “race”-based (aka “suburban”) assertion as to what triggered the attention.

Then again, if an ethnically disaggregated analysis showed “Proficiency Inflation” was not as bad as the statewide aggregate (i.e. “suburban” parents were being told their kids were gaining faux-proficiency faster than “urban” parents), would you change your hypothesis? (Note that skoolboy says it’s the other way around: NYC inflation is worse than state-wide. Also, that one must pay attention to the “bubble kids.”)

None of which one way or the other justifies your concluding “explanation.” I’d sooner yell “movie” in a crowded fire house than accuse anyone of racism, let alone on such flimsy logic. I implore you to drop the racism (aka “city” v “suburban”) angle. Feel free to dissent.

(P.S. Heck, D, the low-hanging-fruit for such prejudice might be the demographics of the teacher certification test itself and its results, NOT the demographics of a DIFFERENT threshold-based test. Sheesh.)

I would invite you to check out this analysis by skoolboy re “proficiency” inflation outpacing “scale score” inflation, from both a state-wide and city-only perspective. Note also his comments on “percentages” when discussing the movable target of “proficiency.” Point being, the test trends over time are not being called into question because of race. They are being called into question because scores for ALL kids are rising, and moreover, the number deemed “proficient” is rising faster still.

http://gothamschools.org/2009/05/08/ela-scores-are-up-but-by-how-much/

As you would say, facts before rants. I’ll add, before accusations of racism as well.

As to teachers, I would hope they are better capable than a threshold level of proficiency, the political imperative in the move-the-herd-along mindset of the Math and ELA tests’ “proficiency” break points.

Last, I would note that the passing rate of registered engineer exams and bar exams is much lower, and the public is better served for those high standards.

Cheers.

http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/documents/CurriculumVitae.DavidSteiner.pdf

lists five recommendations, Joel Klein is # 1 … he serves on the Board of the Harlem Success Charter School … also serves on the Board of the Core Knowledge Foundation, and was never a public school teacher or supervisor … BA from Balliol College, Oxford … fluent in French, also lists Latin and Greek on his CV … soundss like the kind of guy I’d want to be on my Jeopardy team.