MULLICA SCHOOLS TEST SCORES (a series)

Note the drastic lowering of pass standards for schools in New Jersey. The previous standard was that 75% pass the Math, Language Arts Literacy (Reading), Science; for a School District to be judged as meeting State standards. Previously a School District only was required to test its General Education Students and thus omitted Learning Disabled students and English as a Second Language students. NO MORE…now all students are tested and the pass standards for school districts have been dramatically lowered. The reading pass benchmark for 4th graders has been lowered from 75% to 68%…really not that bad. For 8th graders the pass standard has been lowered to 58% of students needing to be proficient in reading for a District not to be judged as not doing its job. This standard for the 8th grade is way too low. Mullica should note with pride that in 2003, 86% of our 8th graders tested Proficient and/or Advanced Proficient…well above the 58% benchmark. In the 4th grade too, in reading 85.5% met or surpassed the proficient standard…more pride here. IF YOU THINK EDUCATION IS EXPENSIVE, TRY IGNORANCE.

In Math the 75% pass benchmark for school districts has been lowered; for 8th graders to 39%…that’s despicably low. For 4th graders the pass standard for districts has been lowered from 75% to 53%…also way too low a standard. Mullica’s 8th graders for 2003 had a 59.1% of its 93 students test proficient or advanced proficient…well above the 39% despicably low State benchmark. For Mullica’s 4th graders 71.1% tested proficient or advanced proficient in 2003…well above the 53% pass benchmark State standard for math.

It is further noted that Mullica 8th graders tested 80.7% proficient or advanced proficient in Science in 2003. Much to be proud of here for Mullica…but some areas of weakness will be highlighted in another posting. The words of Diogenes Laertus: WHEN ASKED HOW MUCH EDUCATED MEN WERE SUPERIOR TO THOSE UNEDUCATED, ARISTOTLE ANSWERED, "AS MUCH AS THE LIVING ARE TO THE DEAD."