Here is a classic tactic by a classic politician. We'll call it "guilt by extension." You tell people that everything is terrible, but you point to just one thing to make your point.
In this case, Burke and his buds cannot stop saying the words "11th grade math scores". There's the proof that Farmington schools are terrible, right? That would be true if it wasn't for one thing ... all of the other test scores.
Juniors who took the MCA math test last year, as a group, did not do well. There's no doubt. Among other things, that is some reflection on the education they received last year and the years leading up to last year. It was bad, and it should be corrected.
But what Burke doesn't bother to mention is whether anything has been done to correct it, or if anything is being done to improve math scores among Farmington students. He doesn't want you to look "over there" at the rest of the students. He wants you to focus on just one number, and ignore the possibility - the reality, actually - that the district has put in place good processes to help teachers teach better, which helps students learn better ... and the results are already showing.
Case in point, math MCA scores in grades 3-7 improved in 2008 compared to 2007. And the overall percentage of Farmington students who scored "proficient" on the math MCA was higher than the state average this year, which it wasn't in 2007. Remember that 2007-08 was the first full year for the new math curriculum, and the first year following the push to provide math-specific teacher training related to the new curriculum.
Then we move on to the reading scores. Well, Farmington students outperformed the state average in grades 3-8. 10th grade fell below state average by just over one percent, but still saw a 10 point increase from 2007. Grade 6 and 7 reading scores improved by double digits.
Lastly, look at ACT scores in Farmington schools. The average Farmington score has gone up by more than a point in the last five years ... and that's even with the number of students taking the test going up dramatically. More students, doing better to get ready for college. That doesn't sound like a failing school system to us.
In other words, the schools are improving. They are getting results ... it's just that Burke doesn't want you to notice.
