I clipped these out of NAEP results tests circa 2002.. THe percentages are the CORRECT respondents.. We need to look at the specifics.. Not generalizations of this testing issue.. If you're not appalled -- there's no hope.. Eight grade.
15.
Under which of the following circumstances would you be most likely to find snow in
equatorial regions?
A) In areas below sea level
B) In areas at high latitudes
C) In areas at high elevations
D) In winter
(51%)
In the space below, list one product that people in the United States eat, drink, or use every day that typically comes from another country. Then explain why the United States imports the product from another country.
(45%) 22% partial
8.
The major areas of wheat production in the world are the central United States and Canada,Ukraine, south central Australia, and the pampas of Argentina. What is the characteristic shared by these areas that explains their role in wheat production?
A) All have rainy, damp climates.
B) All are near sea coasts.
C) All are plains.
D) All are in highland regions.
15.
The Lend-Lease Act, the Yalta Conference, and the dropping of the atomic bomb on
Hiroshima are all associated with the
A) First World War
B) Second World War
C) Korean War
D) Vietnam War
(41%)
Explain why the framers of the Constitution established a system of checks and balances
among the three branches of government.<br>
(2% appropriate, 22% partial).....
Questions 16-17 are about the song below.
O Freedom!
O Freedom!
O Freedom over me!
And before I'd be a slave,
I'd be buried in my grave,
And go home to my Lord and be free!
16. The song was associated with
A) the temperance movement
B) the civil rights movement
C) pioneers on the Oregon Trail
D) farmers in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression
17. The song suggests that in the United States there has been a relationship between
A) slaves and organized labor
B) education and social class
C) reform and religious ideas
D) African Americans and American Indians
(although 80% correctly identified civil rights only 14% could put that into context of reform and religious ideas....)
3. What is the length of this pencil to the nearest quarter inch?
(picture of a pencil superimposed on a ruler.)
A) 3¼ inches
B) 3¾ inches
C) 4¼ inches
D) 4 inches
E) I don't know.
(58%) [[[32% can't use a ruler???? ]]]]]
11.
Kate bought a book for $14.95, a record for $5.85, and a tape for $9.70. If the sales tax on these items is 6 percent and all 3 items are taxable, what is the total amount she must pay for the 3 items, including tax?
A) $32.33
B) $32.06
C) $30.56
D) $30.50
E) $ 1.83
(45%) [[[Guess grocery shopping or clerking is out of the question]]]]
13. Ground beef costs $2.59 per pound. What is the cost of 0.93 pound of ground beef?
A) $3.52
B) $2.78
C) $2.47
D) $2.41
E) $1.66
Did you use the calculator on this question?
(44%)
6. A club held a car wash and washed 21 cars. If the club raised $84, how much did it charge per car?
A) $0.25
B) $4.00
C) $5.00
D) $1,764.00
(92%) [[[kinda looks like a 50/50 chance to me]]]]
You can peruse the results of multi-year testing results at:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/
In GENERAL -- About 25 to 30% are hopelessly failing.. Only about 30% are proficient or better in any of the basic subjects. THIS -- is a telling result.. It should NOT be hidden.
Plenty of other organized views of the results by race, grade, ect. at:
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/itemmaps/index.asp
If the Dept of Ed SHOULDN'T be doing this (because the states fudged their results before DC stepped in) --- then they little role AT ALL in participating in fixes. And maybe we should just get THEM out of the way...