Another indicator of the dismal state of public education

Of course, grabbing the headlines are the clueless tantrums we see reported almost daily among the various colleges and universities in this country.  It doesn’t take long to realize that they’re not being educated, but instead “activated”.  And the ideology that thrives in identity politics is the driving force behind that activation.

Unfortunately those who are activated tend to try to find a place in society where they can use what their indoctrination has taught them.  One of those places is within the area of public education.  How does the ideology of identity politics effect and infect public education.  A prime example of that infection can be found in the deep blue state of New York.  As we’re finding out, literacy as a prerequisite to teaching is no longer a priority.  Skin color, however, is:

A New York literacy test designed to weed out unqualified teachers, called the Academic Literacy Skills Test, is to be done away with by the New York State Board of Regents as suggested by a task force according to The Associated Press.

The reason for eliminating the test is due to the fact that whites predominantly pass the exam at 64 percent, while other minorities such as blacks and latinos, pass the test with a 46 percent and 41 percent success rate respectively.

So to hell with literacy, because we don’t get the results we want in terms of race, we’ll just do away with the test.  It's a bit like telling us that they're doing away with the licensing qualifications for driving a school bus, just so long as the applicant is the right color.

Pace University Professor  Leslie Soodak said that “We want high standards, without a doubt. Not every given test is going to get us there.”

“Having a white workforce really doesn’t match our student body anymore,” Soodak added.

How hard is the test?

According to AP, the test consists of questions that have multiple choice answers that should be easily passed by a 12th grade student.

The Academic Literacy Skills Test consists of multiple-choice questions about a series of reading selections plus a written section.

A practice test available for $20 on the New York State Education Department website features John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address as one of the reading passages and asks questions like this one: “In which excerpt from the passage do Kennedy’s word choices most clearly establish a tone of resolve?”

Obviously, not very hard at all. And remember, one of the criteria for getting a teaching certificate is what? That’s right, a college degree. So what we’re seeing here is the result of “activation” over education in real life. Poorly educated people who can’t pass the equivalent of a 12th grade test even with practice tests available.

But, as stated, literacy isn’t a priority in NY.

Opponents to ridding New York of the test believe that this will lead to teachers with a weak ability to teach, however, Kate Walsh, the president of National Council on Teacher Quality said the reason minorities are scoring lower on the test is due to poverty and racism.

Umm.  Racism. Privileged people who’ve been afforded the opportunity for a college education but still can’t read or write because … racism.

Got it.  Nothing like the low expectations of soft bigotry, huh?

In the meantime, who suffers?  Any child subjected to the machinations of a group of “educators” who value skin color over literacy, that’s who.

What in the world has happened to having high standards and hiring the best qualified in their field?

Oh wait, that’s bigotry, don’t you know?

~McQ