Delaware State Test Scores In, Spec Ed kids not worth reporting on News Journal?

According to the News Journal, kids on state standardized tests remained about the same as last year in Delaware.  This is the last year on DCAS, and next year starts the abysmal monstrosity called Smarter Balanced Assessment.  You know, the one that got voted against in the Delaware Senate last month, only to have Markell’s team come in and say “We would have implemented it anyways”.  So the Senate did a revote and passed it, eternally pissing off Kilroy cause of Greg Lavelle’s flip-flop. 

Hey News Journal, how about a little love for the special needs children who have to take these crappy tests.  You didn’t mention one word about how they did. 

The article goes on to talk about how the Smarter Balanced test will be tougher for the kids, but it’s more in line with common core.  And it will only take 7 hours for elementary kids and 8.5 for high school kids.  No pressure for normal kids, or special needs kids either.  And teachers.  They will be okay with the mass prepping that will go on weeks before it comes out. 

Secretary Of Education Mark Murphy seems to be okay with the growth targets coming out of this year’s DCAS testing.  As News Journal Matthew Albright reported: “One bright spot state officials pointed out: More students are meeting their growth targets, the individual goals for test scores each student is assigned based on his or her previous performance and profile. In math, 57 percent of students met their growth targets, up five points from last year. In reading, 55 percent met those targets, up three points from last year.  Murphy said this growth shows many students might not yet be proficient but are making progress.”

Here’s a newsflash for you Murphy, students tried to bomb the fall test so they could show growth.  And teachers would constantly stress to the kids “This one doesn’t count.”  So the students didn’t care how they did on it.  This practice goes on all the time, and we all know it.  But how can you measure growth now if there are no other tests during the year?  Didn’t think that one all the way through, did you Murph?