State results showed trends similar to each other, even though some have markedly different approaches to education. In Oklahoma, where 90 percent of students took the test, 22 percent met benchmarks in all four subjects in 2014, compared with 19 percent in 2010. In Kentucky, where all students took the test, 19 percent hit all four benchmarks, up from 16 percent. In Texas, which tested 40 percent of students, 26 percent hit all four, compared with 24 percent in 2010.
The overall dismal results come as most U.S. states are struggling with making sure their students graduate from public schools ready for college. College and career-ready standards have become the modern-day educational buzzword — and the centerpiece of the Common Core State Standards, the learning guidelines in most states for what students need to know in math and English language arts. The Common Core has become politically divisive in recent months, with some states moving to ditch the standards. Indiana and Ohio have proposed replacing the Common Core with similar college-aimed standards.
“The holy grail in all of this is it’s got to be rigorous and it’s got to be effective, and right now that is inconsistent from school to school,” Erickson said.
ACT is trying to get into the Common Core game by selling an exam system called Aspire that tracks students along Common Core goals from a young age. So far, only Alabama has bought the system in its entirety.
Article Appeared @http://blackstarjournal.org/?p=4447