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For Kids Who Endured COVID, Trump, Harris Can't Just Give Up

NYT columnist Jessica Grose pushes for more action in the K-12 arena from Trump, Harris

(Newser) - When COVID made its way onto the scene almost five years ago, it indisputably had an effect on America's students, especially those in the K-12 grades. But although the pandemic was like "this comet that hit our education system," as one expert puts it, "the downward...

After Test Results, Ed Secretary Calls for 'Math Revolution'

PISA results show 33% of US students lack basic math proficiency

(Newser) - The first assessment of global achievement in math since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic reveals further evidence of what some are calling a "crisis" in US education. The average math score for American students taking part in Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) exams fell to 465 out...

Students' Reading, Math Scores Drop Further

Basic skills performance had been falling since before the pandemic

(Newser) - National test scores for 13-year-olds released Wednesday showed setbacks in mastering basic skills, providing evidence that schools and students have not overcome the lost learning caused by the pandemic. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, which conducted the tests last fall, reported major drops of nine points in math scores...

Test Scores for US Students Are 'Appalling'
Test Scores for US
Students Are 'Appalling'
the rundown

Test Scores for US Students Are 'Appalling'

Drops recorded in math and reading, and the pandemic is blamed

(Newser) - A federal assessment of US students known as the "nation's report card" is out, and the results are pretty bleak. Scores are down in reading and math—especially math—across the country, with the pandemic blamed for wreaking havoc on education. Details:
  • The test: The National Assessment of
...

'Nation's Report Card' Offers 'Sobering' Pandemic Update

Kids' math, reading scores took an unprecedented hit over the past 2 years

(Newser) - It's undisputed that kids had a rough time of it during the pandemic. Now, results from national tests show just how rough, at least in terms of how their academic skills have suffered. The "nation's report card"—ie, the National Assessment of Educational Progress—was released...

Med School Officials Accused of Altering Women's Exam Scores

Tokyo Medical University accused of changing scores of female applicants to keep numbers low

(Newser) - Shinzo Abe has vowed to promote women in the workplace—called his "womenomics" platform by some—but a new report in Japan's largest newspaper shows a major university seemingly trying to flout the prime minister's plan, per the BBC . In a Thursday expose, an anonymous source tells...

How $125K-a-Year Teachers Affect Kids' Test Scores

New York charter school pays hefty salaries, sees results, turnover

(Newser) - A charter school in Manhattan has been conducting an experiment of sorts: How do students perform if teachers are paid $125,000 a year? The results so far at the Equity Project Charter School look promising, the Atlantic reports. The fifth- through eighth-graders slowly saw test scores rise over the...

Americans Read and Math Bad
 Americans Read and Math Bad 

Americans Read and Math Bad

New study shows US adults are lagging in crucial skills

(Newser) - You've probably heard that test scores are lagging badly for America's youth, but it turns out they're just chips off the old blocks. A sweeping new study has found that American adults are below-average when it comes to literacy, basic math skills, and "problem-solving in technology-rich...

Relax: America's Never Been Tops at Math

US scores have actually been improving

(Newser) - There’s been a lot of talk lately about American math scores falling behind the rest of the world—a December assessment of standardized tests put China at No. 1, and the US at No. 31—but that’s actually a myth, Good reports. The fact is that the US...

Chicago Schools Lag Gains Claimed by Duncan

Test scores in ed secretary's former district trail other cities

(Newser) - In the latest test results, Chicago schools failed to show evidence of the gains claimed by their former superintendent, Arne Duncan, whose success in turning around the struggling system was widely touted when he was nominated for education secretary. Students in Miami, Houston, and New York outscored Chicago in math;...

Record 40% of SAT Takers Now Minorities

(Newser) - Minority participation in the SAT is up to 40% in 2009, the highest level ever, the Washington Post reports. That's up 2 points since last year and a whopping 10 points since 1999. “More than ever, the SAT reflects the diversity of students in our nation's classrooms," says...

Another Memphis Player Accused of SAT Cheating

Dozier's initial results were invalidated

(Newser) - Another former University of Memphis player has a dodgy-looking SAT score in his past, ESPN reports. Robert Dozier was originally set to go to Georgia, until the school noticed that he’d scored a 1260 on his SAT, a score drastically better than his practice exams. The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse...

Girls=Boys in Math, Says Study
 Girls=Boys in Math, Says Study

Girls=Boys in Math, Says Study

Gender gap discovered in the 1970s has been closed, researchers say

(Newser) - Girls are just as good as boys at math, says an exhaustive study of 7 million test scores from elementary through high school students, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The findings, to be published tomorrow in Science, are at odds with 30-year-old studies—and a view entrenched in our...

SAT, ACT Cheats Get Off Easy
 SAT, ACT Cheats Get Off Easy 

SAT, ACT Cheats Get Off Easy

Agencies under fire for canceling scores without exposing, punishing students

(Newser) - College hopefuls caught cheating on their ACT or SAT exams are likely to face few consequences, the Los Angeles Times reports, due to policies under which the administering agencies simply cancel suspicious scores on the college-admission exams. High schools and colleges are kept in the dark about potential wrongdoing, and...

6K Nabbed in GMAT Cheating Scandal
6K Nabbed in GMAT Cheating Scandal

6K Nabbed in GMAT Cheating Scandal

Biz schools, test maker go after students who used test-prep site

(Newser) - More than 6,000 students are embroiled in a cheating scandal that could cost them their place at one of the nation’s business schools, BusinessWeek reports. The prospective MBA students were members of ScoreTop.com, a test-prep site that featured current GMAT questions. Test publisher GMAC sued the company,...

US Kids Lag in Math, Science
US Kids Lag in Math, Science

US Kids Lag in Math, Science

International test puts US teens 17th among 30 countries

(Newser) - American teens are worse at math and science than peers in 16 of 30 countries, according to test results released today. The 5,600 US students who took the test last year scored 24th in math, but almost made average in science. "How are our children going to be...

Average SAT Score Slips Again
Average SAT Score Slips Again

Average SAT Score Slips Again

College Board dismisses 'a couple points,' touts test-takers' diversity

(Newser) - The average SAT score for 2007 was the lowest in years, but that's not necessarily bad news. Scores from round two of the revamped college-entrance exam declined an average of seven points nationwide, which the College Board chalks up to greater participation, particularly among students who weren't on a traditional...

Students Win $2.85M on SATs
Students Win $2.85M on SATs

Students Win $2.85M on SATs

College Board settles class-action lawsuit over incorrect scores

(Newser) - Students who took the SAT exam in 2005 and received incorrect scores have settled a class-action lawsuit with the test makers to the tune of $2.85 million, the New York Times reports. Over 4,000 students who sat the examination received scores that were artificially low—as much as...

Army Fights to Keep Up Quality
Army Fights to Keep Up Quality

Army Fights to Keep Up Quality

Report shows dip in quality of new soldiers

(Newser) - The Army is attracting the lowest rate of high-quality recruits in a decade, the Boston Globe reports. Almost 40% of volunteers scored below-average on verbal and math scores in 2006, according to an analysis of Defense Department personnel statistics. Four years ago, that figure was 29%. The number of recruits...

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