Social studies curriculum tackled

As quoted in the article:
"A lot of us were disheartened," Ms. Grier said. "We knew we had covered the material." Though teachers do not see the CRCTs, Ms. Grier said she and other social studies educators were troubled after pupils told them about some of the questions. "We were concerned because that was not something that we had covered," she said.

We have a teacher admitting that they did not cover material that was taught on the test. Why should we expect the new curiculum and test to be any different? Was not the old test and curriculum designed by so-called education experts? Kathy Cox should resign TODAY! She has failed the children of Georgia miserably.

csrareader, you've asked the right questions, but have drawn the wrong conclusions because of assumptions. This article and the one before it made reference to the test not covering the material taught because of poor communication between the company supplying the teaching material and the company compiling the test. This seems like a natural first step and someone sure dropped the ball. If , in retrospect, Kathy Cox is found to be at fault, then we need to decide if we want 100% mistake free performance from of our elected officials or should they be allowed to make a one time mistake, correct it and go on to help improve our horrible government school system.

Okay, first we learn that a committee is put together (hastily? who knows?) to draw up a new curriculum. Then the box above says the new curriculum will be issued for public comments in June. 60 days later those comments will be discussed and the new curriculum slightly modified. Then the brand new curriculum will be taught in the 08-09 school year. When some students fail the test next spring, the teachers will again whine, "I didn't get no trainin' on the subject!" Shall we replay this next summer?

Gosh, PT, I can't believe you're allowing anyone to "make a one time mistake." After all, you want people to be perfect, right? Stop bashing the school system and get off your butt and do something to effect a change.

(sigh) students couldn't achieve on this test, little lamb, because the deck was stacked against them. i'm sure the teachers wished they had the material to help the students: i don't know any teachers who want their students to fail. what may come across as whining to you is genuine frustration on the part of professionals who spend a great deal of time and energy trying to prepare students for high-stakes testing rather than instilling a love a learning that could last a lifetime.

Thank you, bone. That was well-said. I am sick and tired of everyone blaming the teachers when the fault lies with the test. I challenge anyone who has a problem understanding how this could happen or anyone who wants to blame teachers to go spend some time in the school system. You will find that teachers are working their butts off to teach the students. When a teacher says that he didn't get enough training, he isn’t whining. He is simply trying to make people understand that he wants to do his job; however, he wants to be well-trained, just, for example, as you would want your mechanic to be well-trained on the latest technology for your car.

As an educator, I find it very frustrating to have the public constantly telling me how to do my job. Everyone thinks they are an education expert and love to tell others how to teach! We don't go around telling doctors how to find the next cure for cancer or how to treat it! We trust in their expertise. I wish the public would put more trust in us!

Actually, we do trust the teachers. However, we have no faith whatsover in the administrators, especially those pinheads in Atlanta. I agree -- let the teachers teach. However, these state-administered proficiency exams need to be dropped pronto. I can't help but wonder how the money being wasted this summer on CRCT training and restesting could have been put to better use in our school systems.

redapples, so long as the guv'munt schools perform as miserably as they do, you need not expect a lot of respect from the public for you "professionals". BTW, professionals don't wear jeans and flip flops to work.

Bottom line IMO is that Cox sand he5r staff should have reviewed the material being taught and compared it to the test to insure the correct material was being taught that the test would cover BEFORE they implemented the CRCT. She needs to take a hike.

A close relative is a rising junior and A/B Honor Roll student at GBHS and a graduate of GBMS. She can't tell me the names of the states which lie on a map between GA and PA. Her brother, also a GBMS graduate, can't either. Have the people in the SS departments at GBHS and GBMS as well as at the GDOE headquarters in ATL ever heard of Geography?

Students in the government schools are more concerned with baggy britches and iPods than with learning. No wonder that schools have terrible performance. Parents need to set the expectations, then the students would make them. The real experts in education are the consumers, those who hire people out of school. does anyone ever ask them??

Sorry Kathy, the "test" was a total screw-up on your watch. For that reason you should be relieved. Excuses can't make up for the damage your administration has caused. Your people have taken away from the hard work of the teachers, efforts and investments of parents, and damaged the confidence of the test taking nervous students of the state of Georgia.

Kathy Cox has accomplished something that I thought would never happen again. She will force me to vote against a republican candidate, assuming that she lasts until the election. However, I can now assure that if she runs in the general election against ANYONE, I will vote for a democrat for the first time since 1976. And it makes me sick to admit it.

Can the GDOE be managed for excellence? Can cats be herded? There comes a time when replacement of an ossified, self-serving bureaucracy like the GDOE makes more since than attempts at its reform. But please, Sonny, don't staff a new education department with employees from the old one.

just change the crct to the georgia state football test that includes running and jumping and take out all questions pertaining to history, geography, social studies, current events...and oh while you are at it take out the math questions and substitute with how many quarters in a football and basketball game...that should do it