Re: Katrina Refugees Score Lower on Tests

[Lisa Lisa <teacher_davis2002@yahoo.com>]

This is completely unbelievable.  How could anyone
possibly do this to these poor children who have been
completely affected by so many circumstances?  As a
former public school teacher, I have seen what kids go
through in regards to this high stakes testing and the
stress they face--especially in third grade--and I
think it is so sad that this is happening.  This is
like comparing apples and oranges!  

--- Rich Gibson <rgibson@pipeline.com> wrote:

> 
> Keep swimming , but be sure to fill in the right
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> 
> 
> 
> >------------------------
> >
> >This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
> >
> >255fe2e.jpg
> >
> >
> >Katrina Refugees Score Lower on Tests
> >
> >
> >
> >By PAUL J. WEBER, Associated Press Writer2 hours, 7
> minutes ago
> >
> >Young Hurricane Katrina refugees living in Texas
> scored considerably worse 
> >on a statewide standardized exam than Texas
> children, and thousands of 
> >them could be held back.
> >
> >Teachers and state officials blame the low scores
> on New Orleans' poor 
> >school system, the trauma of being abruptly
> uprooted from their homes, and 
> >the possibility that some of them were put in the
> wrong grade after 
> >arriving in Texas with no records.
> >
> >The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, a
> test of reading and math 
> >ability, was given in February to third- and
> fifth-graders, who must pass 
> >in order to move up to the next grade. About 38,000
> Katrina evacuees are 
> >enrolled in Texas schools.
> >
> >Only 58 percent of evacuees in third grade passed
> the reading portion, 
> >compared with 89 percent of all students. In fifth
> grade, 46 percent of 
> >evacuees passed the reading portion, versus 80
> percent among all students.
> >
> >"We've got kids who are coming into our secondary
> system and cannot read," 
> >Houston school board member Larry Marshall said.
> "Now that is a tragedy."
> >
> >Between the two grades, about 2,000 refugees
> failed. Students who failed 
> >will have two more opportunities to pass the test
> this spring, but some 
> >worry the learning gap is too wide to close.
> >
> >"Unfortunately a lot of the children came to us two
> and three years 
> >behind. It's going to be a struggle for a lot of
> them to catch up," said 
> >Texas Education Agency spokeswoman Debbie Graves
> Ratcliffe.
> >
> >Educators and administrators warn that holding
> students back a grade 
> >increases the financial burden for the state, which
> has already spent 
> >hundreds of millions of dollars on housing, health
> care and other services 
> >for the half-million refugees who came to Texas
> after Katrina swamped the 
> >Gulf Coast on Aug. 29.
> >
> >The TEA estimates the state will spend up to $350
> million educating 
> >refugees this school year.
> >
> >To help ease the burden on schools, the TEA
> announced Thursday that all 
> >federal aid sent to Texas for educating hurricane
> refugees will be given 
> >to affected districts.
> >
> >"Our schools have acted in good faith by taking in"
> the evacuees, Texas 
> >Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley said. "They
> shouldn't be penalized 
> >financially for this act of kindness."
> >
> >___
> >
> >Associated Press writer Allen Breed contributed to
> this report.
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