Saturday, March 29, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
WHICH is more important: having a solid core curriculum in math, science and computers or having more electives?
Unbelievably, Richard Hawkins, chairman of the Business Education Advisory Committee in Washoe County, representing the Nevada "School to Work" program, recently said electives are more important because they ready students for the workplace.
"Reducing or eliminating elective credits would be a crucial blow to business education," he said. He added that electives allow students the opportunity to take classes that will enable them to get jobs.
The fact is, kids should have a chance to enroll in classes that will provide opportunities to gain marketable skills. But should those classes substitute for math and science credits? Some have argued that these substitutions in the core curriculum are just as good as classes taught by the academic teacher.
However, if we look at the results of the pilot test of the new high school proficiency exam last fall, some might question the integrity of those classes. And, while Hawkins believes electives are more valuable in preparing kids for the job market, what we see is that those classes won't prepare them to pass the high school proficiency exam, which means they won't graduate.
That math test was broken into five sections: Numbers and Operations, Measurement, Geometry, Data Collection and Algebra/Functions. The test is a criterion-referenced test; that means all the material on the test was taught to the students in school. The results of the pilot were predictably terrible. The scores for the general student population were 64 percent, 61 percent, 57 percent, 58 percent and 56 percent, respectively.
But, looking deeper, students who have a greater tendency to enroll in vocational programs fared a lot worse, scoring only 56 percent correct on Numbers and Operations, 38 percent on Measurement, 45 percent on Geometry, 47 percent on Data Analysis and 47 percent on Algebra/Functions.
Whoa! Isn't measurement supposed to be a strong component in vocational programs? If so, how did those students score 23 points below the general population, with only 38 percent correct? These results might indicate that these substitutions in the core curriculum are not living up to their billing.
Nevada has watched the math scores on the SAT continually decline. Ten years ago, students in Nevada scored 18 points above the national average. This year, our kids ranked one point below the average. Just last week, the NAEP results were reported nationwide. Nevada took its place in the bottom, as we have become accustomed in the last decade. Our kids placed 31st out of 43 states being tested.
The passing grade on the old proficiency test was 56 or 57 percent. That's a joke in itself. Most people believe proficiency is measured around 75 percent. Knowing the results of the pilot, the department has suggested taking out the more difficult questions. That's wrong!
Since all items on the test are taught in the curriculum, I don't see a need to eliminate any of the questions. And I'm real concerned with department speculation that proficiency will be measured by earning a 50 or 60 percent.
While none of this is particularly good news, it could get a lot worse if, in fact, Hawkins is really representing the business community. In the past, the business community could be depended on to demand high standards, to have a strong core curriculum. As a person representing the "School to Work" programs in the state, a federal program that is very well funded and typically supported by business, this could result in a further erosion of academic standards in the state.
It's time this multimillion-dollar "School to Work" federal program was brought out in the light of day. I'm afraid we might see that those programs are actualy making our students less competitive. In Clark County, Kathleen Frosini has been an advocate for these programs as she continually supports substitutions in the core curriculum. I can hear the excuses now: The test was valid, but the specific populations that took the test were not large enough to draw valid conclusions. Yeah, and how do you spell "fertilizer"?
I would also like to see data to determine if people of color are disproportionately enrolled in the lower skilled, lower wage-paying programs for the service industry. Some might see that as discriminatory.
People evaluating standards, people representing NAEP, SAT and ACT, continually remind states that the single most important factor correlating to academic achievement and performance is the content of the course work taken. State Superintendent Mary Peterson has yet to understand that simple axiom as she continues to recommend approval of these substitutions to board members.
Most states already require a third year of math to graduate from high school. Nevada says it requires two years, but then allows woodworking to substitute for one of them. Peterson's unwillingness to support higher academic standards in math, science and computers is placing Nevada students at a great disadvantage.
If Hawkins' views truly represent the business community and the federally funded Nevada "School to Work" program, and they support electives over the core curriculum, then Nevada kids will be alone in trying to transition into the world of work, lacking basic skills and competencies as was demonstrated on the new high school minimum competency exam that we call the Proficiency Test.
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