State of Virgina Sets Lower Pass Rate Expectations for Black Students in New Policy
Virginia is not known for being the most racially-progressive state in America, and a recent modification of its academic standards is not going to help its reputation.
The state has issued new standards of academic achievement that change the success expectation based on the race of the student. The move has irritated the Virginia Black Caucus, which considers the standards to be discriminatory. Sen Mamie Locke is especially outraged.
“Nothing is going to work for me if there is a differentiation being established for different groups of students,” said Locke. “Whether that’s race, socio-economic status or intellectual ability. If there is a differentiation, I have a problem with it.”
Virginia Secretary of Education Laura Fornash has defended the new standards, arguing that students of different ethnic backgrounds are not being held to different standards.
“Please be assured that the McDonnell administration does not hold a student of a particular race or income level, or those of any other subgroup, to a different standard,” Fornash said.
The standards don’t vary by race, but the systematic expectations do. All students are taking the same test, and all need the same score to pass. The concern is that there are different success expectations for various ethnic groups. Only 45 percent of black students are required to pass the math test, while the number is 82 percent for Asians, 68 percent for whites and 52 percent for Hispanics.
The state is justifying the system based on previous pass rates, setting the bar at the level that it’s been reached in the past. Critics are charging that the state is seeking to maintain lower expectations for students of color than other ethnic groups.
Educator Carolyn J. Smith told Pilot Online that the focus should be on boosting performance in under-performing racial groups rather than expecting less.
“The ones in the lower grades, if they don’t feel like they can do math, they’ll give up,” said educator Carolyn Smith. “And some parents say, ‘I can’t do math, either.’”
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Like black people are dumber than white people? Not. I was sitting in a doctor’s office just the other day and a 13 year old girl asked her mother what was the time. Her mother said for her to look at her watch. The 13 year could not read her watch because it was not digital.
I know that they say times have changed but all I can see is that some of the young people of today are dumber than a box of rocks and color has no bearing.
Shame on the mother for not teaching her 13 year old daughter as to how to tell time and shame on both for the 13 year old for giving attitude to her mother and the mother for taking the disrespect.
Had I tried that as a child while at a neighbor’s house, I would have gotten a b**t whippin and by the time I would have gotten home, another one and it would not have made a difference as to if the neighbor was black or white.
SOME kids, along with their parents need to go back to school to learn respect and manners if nothing else.
Oh and this was a white girl.
Why not find better ways to teach Math and have a high expectation of ALL students to pass OR is that TOO much to ask of an educational system??? Perhaps you might think about returning to the OLD Math since the NEW Math isn’t working. Algebra, Geometry and higher levels can be taught after children learn the basics – you know, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, then fractions, decimals, etc.
@Carol:
Afrikans introduced math, algebra, trignometry, calculus, and arithmetic to the world!!!
This is how they built the Ancient Pyramids using math procedures, which led to engineering! As a matter of Truth, a Black Afrikan by the name of Al-jabr wa’l Muqabala is the title of the FIRST TEXTBOOK on this subject! The Black God and keeper of wisdom of the Afrikan diaspara was called Elegbara, who INTRODUCED KHEMISTRY AND MATH TO THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS.
The Arabic and Roman numeral numbers we use today are from te ORIGINAL Ancient Black Arabs/Muurs, who taught the greeks everthing they know!!!
THE REAL FOUNDING FATHERS WERE THE ANCIENT BLACK AFRIKANS GODS AND GODDESSES OF THE UNIVERSE.
The greeks stole and claimed, they introduced math to the world, but this is a LIE! Before greece came into existance , the arts, and siences were already practiced by the Ancient Black Khemetians.
A white writer wrote, “The proof that they [Egyptians] were proficient in mathematiical sciences, lies in the FACT, that those Ancient mathematicians, whom we honor as the fathers of geometry went to Khemet to be INSTRUCTED to learn these procedures.” (Helen Blavatsky).
The Ancient Black Khemeticians TAUGHT THEM HOW TO READ AND WRITE!!!
Thanks brother you speak nothing but the truth. We have to engage youth and elders about this information . How do we do that? Peace brother
This is just MODERNIZERD SLAVERY! These yankees didn’t want us to read during our forced enslavement, and don’t want us to read NOW!
Let’s not forget, that the State of Viriginia had slave code laws, which allowed the DUMBING DOWN, AND KILLING OF OUR ADULTS and CHILDREN. Just think; these heathens would KILL us, if we had a BOOK IN OUR HANDS, now these caucasoid female teachers are paid to DUMB DOWN OUR CHILDREN, AND PUT THEM ON RITALIN, SO THEY WILL NOT HAVE TO COMPETE
WITH [THEIR] CHILDREN IN THESE HARD ECONOMIC TIMES.
BOYCOTT! BOYCOTT! BOYCOTT!!!
This is the problem with education today. Instead of trying to raise standards we lower the standards. No wonder our students are doing poorly in school and expect a good grade when none is earned.
This is where it starts ppl…..using intelligence quotients to subjugate and marginalize — a few centuries ago, it lead to SLAVERY.
If the same scores are required to pass, then this change is set to benefit the schools–help them get passing grades. Maybe they feel blacks are pulling down the school’s grade. The change will allow the school to get a passing grade if the blacks meet that lower standard. At the same time, the black kids will fail with that minimum score because it does not match the score set for all kids.
The brain factory does not teach. They have rejected the fountain of knowledge and pursued fables like evolution which is educational crack cocaine. i seem to remember from the mouth of the being that has the power to make men immortal this statement, “If you reject knowledge then i will reject you and your offspring.” You cannot do if you do not know how and you will not know unless you accept revealed knowledge and put it to work. Therein lies true discovery and invention. But you must be willing to ask and not deviate from your goals. We have a universe to finish people but the plans are with the creator of it. Go to class with Him.
That is pure Racism, you cannot determine a Childs Intelligence by setting Academic Standards by Ethnicity Principals or Rules. All Children learn at Different Paces,Regardless of Race…Stop The Stupid,ignorant Race Baiting Virginia!!