By Michael Heather
In recent test results for the just passed school year 2021-2022 released by the Arizona Department ofEducation and posted by the Arizona Republic and Payson Roundup, PUSD students are doing poorly on standardized testing. Even “poorly” does not seem to capture the horror, falling below the state average in a state ranked about 48th in the country. That is setting an extremely low bar and not muster the ability to chew gum and walk at the same time. Examples: JRE- Math – all grades, 28% pass (or 72% fail), 4th grade English language arts – 43% pass, 3rd grade English language arts – 36% pass. It does not get any better as the classes proceed. PHS 11th grade ACT test – 30% pass, math skills – 27% pass. As a comparison, Showlow student population is approximately the same as Payson from a town with 12,000 people, but has a 59% pass score for their ACT.
In response to this miserable testing output, the PHS principal and Board of Education have decided that new programs will help PHS climb up to the state average on testing. Yep, we are going to throw all sorts of money at this problem and see if we can make our students achieve the cherished average scores. Not one word about having the students excel at anything. After nearly two years of “remote learning” which stole the social and interpersonal opportunities from the students, the district believes that making them feel better about themselves will help lift the students out of their plandemic-imposed funk.
It seems to this writer that the district is missing the very thing that will actually result in higher test scores and better student grades altogether. Actual teaching time in class and traditional subject matter to learn. It takes no genius to understand that the amount of time used for learning core (or test) subjects will result in higher test scores if nothing else is done at all. But the district seems to feel that using school class time to help students with social, emotional learning will make them magically have the knowledge to correctly answer mathematic or English language questions. Short answer: no, it will not. Math is an objective subject that demands many student hours of class time and homework to simply understand, supported by rote memorization and other tools to use efficiently. There are no short cuts or magic paths to follow that will make the learning faster or any easier, but inspired teachers can make a difference that no outside program or computer program can.
Same goes for English. Weekly spelling tests, continuous expansion of vocabulary and learning grammar rules will create good test results. Receiving a trophy for coming to class will not likely do the same. The base of the column of learning must be stable and grounded in subject matter. That will ensure a future of success for students that cannot be removed by indoctrination or false claims on historic facts. If the students are taught how to think for themselves, they will not grow to be societal parasites, but leaders and builders.
The district, in its recent actions, feels that the students only need to feel better about themselves to improve test scores. It is possible that with the low amount of structured learning they have received in the last two years that the scores will indeed improve to the vaunted state average, since the Payson scores are only a few points low and K-12 age groups are sponges learning something every day without any outside help. But the question to be answered is, why try for average? Western civilization has about 3000 years of traditional learning that has produced some pretty above-average people.
Anyone who paid attention to grade scoring in school knows that an A grade results from 90% passing or more, B = 80%, etc. So, we now have a school district trying to help their students raise scores to a failure rate instead of succeeding and excelling. Bravo, PUSD. Keep that academic bar low enough that an average house cat could pass.
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