So. If your child attended a public school rated C, D, or F by the state, and you meet the income requirements, Louisiana will pay your child's tuition in a private school, which will not be held to the same standards as public schools and will not be graded by letter grades.Tests and other oversight for voucher students will be less stringent than rules for public school students, officials predicted Monday.
...officials familiar with the issue said they are not expecting White to recommend voucher policies that mirror those governing public schools, including letter grades and high-stakes tests for fourth- and eighth-graders.
The rules requirement stems from a bill pushed by Gov. Bobby Jindal, and approved by the Legislature in April, that expands Louisiana’s voucher program statewide, not just in New Orleans.
Students who have attended schools rated C, D and F by the state, and who meet income requirements, can apply for state-funded vouchers to offset most costs to attend private and parochial schools.
Michael Falk, president of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, has met with White in small groups of superintendents to discuss the issue.I have my reservations about the LEAP tests, which so often result in teaching to the tests, but how will we know if the private schools do a better job of educating students? With our state money going to private schools, it would seem only fair to hold the schools to the same standards as public schools, whose already depleted coffers are being emptied further by funds going to private schools.
He said Monday he does not expect White to require voucher students to face high-stakes tests, which means they have to pass them to move to the next grade.
Under current rules, fourth- and eighth-graders at public schools have to pass a skills test called LEAP to move to the next grade.
Last month U. S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said private and parochial schools that accept voucher students should get letter grades from the state.The senator is right.
Critics contend that any such grade would be distorted, mostly because voucher students will make up a small percentage of any school’s population.I'm afraid I have to call BS on that excuse.
All too often, the Louisiana Legislature and the governor, especially this governor, seem not to have thoroughly thought through to the consequences of the legislation they passed and signed into law. And the full effects of lower standards will not be seen until far in the future, when the damage to the students may have already been done.
I wonder how much governing Jindal can do from afar, since he spends a good part of his time traveling around the country campaigning, supposedly for Republican candidates. Or is he campaigning for the position as Romney's vice-presidential candidate? Or for a major position in the Romney administration? What makes Bobby run? One sure thing, if Romney is looking for someone with even less charisma than himself, so as not to outshine him in the personality contest, then Jindal is his man.
Mimi,
ReplyDeleteOnce again we are seeing that conservatives consider education programs mAinly for opportunities to educate children in political stuff instead of what they should know to succed in life. and these kids will be the next generation with heads full of political nonsense and drag the level of national education down, down, down! where does it end,we keep going backwards in maintaining educational levels intros country. God help America!
Nij
Nij, sometimes I think Republicans have a vested interest in keeping people ignorant, including the children. Future scientists are will be ill-prepared by the science teaching on creationism in fundamentalist "Christian" schools.
ReplyDeleteWhat amounts do the private-school owners contribute to political campaigns?
ReplyDeletePaul (A.), here's a link to a list of schools which will be getting state money to teach creationism. A number of the schools are small, fundamentalist Christian schools, some of which plan to expand quickly and double their enrollment, because they smell money.
ReplyDeleteThe local Roman Catholic schools will open up a few slots, but they can't handle a big influx of students.
One legislator is having second thoughts about voting for the vouchers:
Rep. Valerie Hodges has second thoughts about vouchers upon learning that Islam qualifies as a religion: who knew?
I look for a good deal of chaos in the next couple of years.
I'd have to do some research to find out how much for-profit charter schools contribute to Jindal's always-running campaigns.
I know that I keep harping on how this nonsense got started in the church, but it did. In one parish where I worked, I was responsible for the Rel. Ed. of the parish school as well as the CCD. Nearing Confirmation in the spring, I made up an exam to be taken by all kids to be confirmed, public and parochial students. It would be sliding scale, answer as many questions as u can, etc. Questions were VERY basic, such as: name as many of the 10 commandments as u can,write the Our Father, write out the Nicene Creed, What r the Works of Mercy, etc.
ReplyDeleteTo my utter amazement, the school principal charged into my office, very upset! How did I expect her kids (ninth graders)to pass such a test? Didn't I know that religion was a spiritual matter and shouldn't be tested? etc, etc! It was quite a row, and she point blank refused to distribute the exam to her kids. Without testing, how do you know what is being taught? I think we r seeing the results of this R. wing interference in education now in the Tea Party folks. Sort of connecting the dots......
nij
P.S. The last straw from this principal was that she insisted that even she could not pass such a test----sadly, I believed her!
Paul (A.), in the limited time I have right now to search, I found this link to a list of campaign contributions. I do know that Jindal is closely allied with ALEC, (American Legislative Exchange Council), which promotes "Limited Government, Free Markets, and Federation".
ReplyDelete