for further information:
Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773
for use with annual SAT scores release – 11:00am, Tuesday, August 25, 2009
GROWING RACIAL, INCOME AND GENDER GAPS ON SAT INDICATE FAILURE OF TEST-DRIVEN “SCHOOL REFORM”
Test-driven K-12 “school reforms,” mandated by the federal “No Child Left Behind” law and high-stakes, state examination programs are failing to improve overall academic quality and narrow historic racial, income and gender gaps, according to scores from the SAT released today. In fact a chart composed by the National Center for Fair & OpenTesting (FairTest), which compares SAT results from the high school class of 2009 with 2008 scores, shows:
- the gap between White and Asian-American students, on the one hand, and historically disadvantaged minority groups, particularly African-Americans and Hispanics, is growing larger;
- the gender gap between males and females is also expanding, with males increasing their advantage;
- income gaps have exploded, with the children from the highest earning families scoring 26 points higher than last year while the scores of low-income groups remain flat.
FairTest Public Education Director Bob Schaeffer explained, “It is becoming increasingly clear that the nation cannot test its way to better educational quality or equity. The top-down, one-size-fits-all mandates of “No Child Left Behind” and state testing programs should be repealed and replaced with genuine reforms that build school capacity to address student learning needs.”
See the FairTest Chart on the 2009 SAT scores (PDF) here.
Download a printable PDF of this press release (with score chart included) here.
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SAT09-Reaction-PR.pdf | 16.5 KB |
2009 SAT Scores.pdf | 13.45 KB |