Florida Passes Plan For Racially-Based Academic Goals

[Danno 1,228]

Florida Passes Plan For Racially-Based Academic Goals

Palm Beach, Fla. (CBS TAMPA) – The Florida State Board of Education passed a plan that sets goals for students in math and reading based upon their race.

On Tuesday, the board passed a revised strategic plan that says that by 2018, it wants 90 percent of Asian students, 88 percent of white students, 81 percent of Hispanics and 74 percent of black students to be reading at or above grade level. For math, the goals are 92 percent of Asian kids to be proficient, whites at 86 percent, Hispanics at 80 percent and blacks at 74 percent. It also measures by other groupings, such as poverty and disabilities, reported the Palm Beach Post.

The plan has infuriated many community activists in Palm Beach County and across the state.

“To expect less from one demographic and more from another is just a little off-base,” Juan Lopez, magnet coordinator at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Riviera Beach, told the Palm Beach Post.

JFK Middle has a black student population of about 88 percent.

“Our kids, although they come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, they still have the ability to learn,” Lopez said. “To dumb down the expectations for one group, that seems a little unfair.”

Others in the community agreed with Lopez’s assessment. But the Florida Department of Education said the goals recognize that not every group is starting from the same point and are meant to be ambitious but realistic.

As an example, the percentage of white students scoring at or above grade level (as measured by whether they scored a 3 or higher on the reading FCAT) was 69 percent in 2011-2012, according to the state. For black students, it was 38 percent, and for Hispanics, it was 53 percent.

In addition, State Board of Education Chairwoman Kathleen Shanahan said that setting goals for different subgroups was needed to comply with terms of a waiver that Florida and 32 other states have from some provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. These waivers were used to make the states independent from some federal regulations.

“We have set a very high goal for all students to reach in Florida,” Shanahan said.

But Palm Beach County School Board vice-chairwoman Debra Robinson isn’t buying the rationale.

“I’m somewhere between complete and utter disgust and anger and disappointment with humanity,” Robinson told the Post. She said she has been receiving complaints from upset black and Hispanic parents since the state board took its action this week.

Robinson called the state board’s actions essentially “proclaiming racism” and said she wants Palm Beach County to continue to educate every child with the same expectations, regardless of race.

http://tampa.cbslocal.com/2012/10/12/florida-passes-plan-for-racially-based-academic-goals/

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Stupid me... I thought math was color-blind.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Florida Passes Plan For Racially-Based Academic Goals

IS this the accepted reality or just more racism?

It's what happens when Republicans run the state.

[Danno 1,228]

It's what happens when Republicans run the state.

SO YOU are saying it's racist in nature?

Before you answer ...you have to know I will see what body within the state brought this plan up.

--------------

Isn't this practice already in place according to family income?

Just being at a certain income level send additional funds to that school to educate.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Florida Passes Plan For Racially-Based Academic Goals

Palm Beach, Fla. (CBS TAMPA) – The Florida State Board of Education passed a plan that sets goals for students in math and reading based upon their race.

On Tuesday, the board passed a revised strategic plan that says that by 2018, it wants 90 percent of Asian students, 88 percent of white students, 81 percent of Hispanics and 74 percent of black students to be reading at or above grade level. For math, the goals are 92 percent of Asian kids to be proficient, whites at 86 percent, Hispanics at 80 percent and blacks at 74 percent. It also measures by other groupings, such as poverty and disabilities, reported the Palm Beach Post.

The plan has infuriated many community activists in Palm Beach County and across the state.

"To expect less from one demographic and more from another is just a little off-base," Juan Lopez, magnet coordinator at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Riviera Beach, told the Palm Beach Post.

JFK Middle has a black student population of about 88 percent.

"Our kids, although they come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, they still have the ability to learn," Lopez said. "To dumb down the expectations for one group, that seems a little unfair."

Others in the community agreed with Lopez's assessment. But the Florida Department of Education said the goals recognize that not every group is starting from the same point and are meant to be ambitious but realistic.

As an example, the percentage of white students scoring at or above grade level (as measured by whether they scored a 3 or higher on the reading FCAT) was 69 percent in 2011-2012, according to the state. For black students, it was 38 percent, and for Hispanics, it was 53 percent.

In addition, State Board of Education Chairwoman Kathleen Shanahan said that setting goals for different subgroups was needed to comply with terms of a waiver that Florida and 32 other states have from some provisions of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. These waivers were used to make the states independent from some federal regulations.

"We have set a very high goal for all students to reach in Florida," Shanahan said.

But Palm Beach County School Board vice-chairwoman Debra Robinson isn't buying the rationale.

"I'm somewhere between complete and utter disgust and anger and disappointment with humanity," Robinson told the Post. She said she has been receiving complaints from upset black and Hispanic parents since the state board took its action this week.

Robinson called the state board's actions essentially "proclaiming racism" and said she wants Palm Beach County to continue to educate every child with the same expectations, regardless of race.

http://tampa.cbsloca...academic-goals/

This is exactly what I was saying in the other thread, when i said that quotas, preferences and affirmative action actually cheapened the accomplishments of minorities that made it with out special treatment.

[Danno 1,228]

This is exactly what I was saying in the other thread, when i said that quotas, preferences and affirmative action actually cheapened the accomplishments of minorities that made it with out special treatment.

I don't really see this as quotas or preferences or affirmative action, as any individual can excel at the pace they are able, this is simply acknowledging the fact that some groups cannot be compared to other groups when considering progress.

Composition of the student body will determine their over all test scores.

Even when income differences are non-existant the large gap remains. In fact even when Black students from the highest incomes are tested they don't compare to white and Asian students of the lower income brackets.

Remember this story we kicked around some time ago where Wealthy Black students were doing poorly in one of the best schools with every advantage, they brought in a researcher to figure out why.... then kicked his AZZ when he arrived his findings.

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/gyrobase/rich-black-flunking/Content?oid=1070459&showFullText=true

The explanation for this are irrelevant to the task of having reasonable testing for progress.

[justashooter 430]

Stupid me... I thought math was color-blind.

you are forgetting that different cultures have developed under differeing pressures, and so are inherently functional at different levels. for instance, chinese and japanese written languages involve the memorization of large numbers of pictographic based complex characters, while our language involves the discriminative process of interpreting an infinite number of combinations of simple characters. therefore, a native chinese speaker of such stock will be expected to have better memorization skills, but be lacking in interpretive skills. you are also forgetting that the chinese and japanese in USA are the cream of their educational systems, so we are only exposed to the top 5%, or so.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Stupid me... I thought math was color-blind.

Florida is a red state. You do the math; pun intended...

[lostinblue 1,989]

Chinese parents will make their children get good grades. They lay the law down at an early age . A chinese girlfriend told her 13 year old daughter "it is time to put your toys away now....You decide if you are to be a lawyer,doctor or engineer."Then they proceeded on that goal. Very disciplined study habits. This is what is lacking in the hood. Self-discipline at any age.

[Nasturtium 500]

you are forgetting that different cultures have developed under differeing pressures, and so are inherently functional at different levels. for instance, chinese and japanese written languages involve the memorization of large numbers of pictographic based complex characters, while our language involves the discriminative process of interpreting an infinite number of combinations of simple characters. therefore, a native chinese speaker of such stock will be expected to have better memorization skills, but be lacking in interpretive skills. you are also forgetting that the chinese and japanese in USA are the cream of their educational systems, so we are only exposed to the top 5%, or so.

Wrong.

[^_^ 5,021]

Wrong.

is that how your librul professors taught you rebut conservative arguments?

[Nasturtium 500]

[quote name=' timestamp='1350401556' post='5759196]

is that how your librul professors taught you rebut conservative arguments?

He's using super out-dated racial determination type arguments. It's easier to say "wrong" than to try to catch him up on 100 years of anthropology.

[^_^ 5,021]

He's using super out-dated racial determination type arguments. It's easier to say "wrong" than to try to catch him up on 100 years of anthropology.

In other words, you have no argument.

Nice try, lib. You may wish to exercise that weak sauce on the weak minds that inhabit the RUB forum. This is P&R. We play to hard here so I suggest you take that limp argument elsewhere.

[Nasturtium 500]

[quote name=' timestamp='1350401929' post='5759216]

In other words, you have no argument.

Nice try, lib. You may wish to exercise that weak sauce on the weak minds that inhabit the RUB forum. This is P&R. We play to hard here so I suggest you take that limp argument elsewhere.

Pffft. Did you laugh a lot to yourself as you typed out lib to me?

[^_^ 5,021]

Pffft. Did you laugh a lot to yourself as you typed out lib to me?