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close"It takes a skilled carpenter to build a barn. But, any jack ass can kick one down." -- Abraham Lincoln
The above quote resonated in my mind as I read Andrew Dys' Aug. 30 column regarding the evaluation instrument being developed to replace PACT in our public schools. The word "ultracrepidarian" also came to mind, but more on that later.
There is so much irrationality in Andrew's column it is hard to know where to start. I suppose just beginning with the facts would be appropriate, and since the facts weren't used in his column, that should be fresh information for Herald readers.
Andrew takes our educators to task for wanting a new, more effective instrument with which to evaluate the progress and remediation needs of our students. Oh my, our educators should be ashamed of themselves. Ol' Andrew neglects citing the fact that the PACT was the creation of our Legislature and not our educators. It took another act of the Legislature to enable educators to develop a more credible, time-appropriate instrument. Of course, one could gather from Andrew's comments that anybody could do a better job than our teachers and principals in assessing the educational needs of our children.
It is a fact that our SAT scores are among the lowest in the nation. What is ignored by Andrew is the fact that there is a direct correlation between the amount of poverty in a county and their SAT scores. In places like York County, with a relatively low poverty rate, the scores are pretty good. But in other counties in the state with a larger percentage of children living in poverty, the scores are not good. Wow, is it possible that the home in which a child lives could have a bearing on his/her academic performance?
Higher standards
While we have not achieved the academic standard to which we aspire, it is not for a lack of effort. In fact, South Carolina is recognized as having some of the country's highest academic standards. The No Child Left Behind Act leaves it up to each state to determine at what level of achievement a child can be designated as proficient in each academic area. Our educators have chosen to set the bar higher than virtually all other states. That means a child in South Carolina who does not score as proficient in reading may very well be determined to be proficient in reading in another state, such as Texas, where the standards are much lower. We have a long way to go before our students and schools reach the high goals being set by our educators, but why shouldn't we all be doing our part to "build the barn" rather than constantly tearing it down?
Better teachers
South Carolina is also recognized across the United States for the pursuit of excellence in teaching. We are in the top echelon of states with our number of Nationally Certified teachers. Andrew, pay attention to that word nationally; it means we are providing our kids with teachers who are documented to be on par with the best teachers throughout America. Again I ask, do you think there could be something about the home environment that affects a child's academic performance?
Andrew makes several suggestions as to what he considers an appropriate name for the new assessment instrument. I have a suggestion for a new and more appropriate name for Andrew. I suggest he consider changing his name to Ultracrepidarian Dys. I realize a guy like me, who was educated in South Carolina's public schools shouldn't know words like "ultracrepidarian." I guess it is just a fluke of nature that I came to add it to my lexicon. Anyway, "ultracrepidarian" means a critic outside of his realm of knowledge or authority. I think Ultracrepidarian Dys would be a perfect fit, and I will be happy to pay the $150 for the name change.
By the way, Andrew, I noticed you haven't talked to the parents of any of the recent high school graduates who did not hear their child's name called because of the cat-calling bellowed by the previous graduate's family and friends. I guess those folks didn't have a right to hear their child's achievements recognized.
@Nyx.CommentBody@