The Independent from Ashland gets it

I started writing last week about the recent score release from the PLAN and EXPLORE tests given to all Kentucky 10th and eighth grade students (respectively) in the fall of this school term. My first comments were focused on low performance in Jefferson County’s schools because I was on a panel there last week, as well.

The problems in Jefferson County are repeated statewide, unfortunately, as a recent The Independent editorial notes.

Says the Independent:

“…the real message from the latest round of EXPLORE and PLAN tests is that the state’s high schools must do a much better job of preparing young people for college and the workforce. That means the test scores must improve by a lot. Slight improvements are not acceptable.”

To that I can only say, Right on!

The latest plan data for the 2011-12 school term shows only 24.8 percent of our students met the PLAN mathematics Benchmark Score that shows they are on track to be ready for college and careers upon high school graduation. That is up very little from the 23.3 percent that met the math benchmark five years ago in 2006-07. That works out to an average improvement rate of only 0.3 of a percentage point per year. Given that rate of progress, it will take Kentucky 184 years to get 80 percent of our kids adequately prepared in mathematics!

I don’t think we can wait that long.