Look, I don’t care what color, race, or creed the teacher is. It is not at all unreasonable to expect teachers to be as literate as what we expect from our high school students. Indeed, it should be requisite.
NY dropping teacher literacy test amid claims of racism
At a time when the United States has plummeted in the global rankings of education standards, one of the country’s largest states is poised to scrap a test designed to measure the reading and writing skills of people trying to become teachers.
Citing the fact that an outsized percentage of black and Hispanic candidates were failing the test, members of the New York state Board of Regents plans to adopt a task force’s recommendation to eliminate the literacy exam, known as the Academic Literacy Skills Test, given to prospective teachers. ……
… The tests, however, came under intense scrutiny for their alleged racial bias, after just 46 percent of Hispanic test-takers and 41 percent of black test-takers passed it on the first try, compared with 64 percent of white candidates.
Plus, critics said, the test’s $131 price tag is too steep.
Despite a ruling by a federal judge in 2015 that the test was not discriminatory, faculty members at education schools say a test that screens out so many minorities is problematic.
“Having a white workforce really doesn’t match our student body anymore,” Soodak said.
Kate Walsh, the president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, said that the reason that blacks and Latinos don’t score as well as whites on the literacy test is because of various factors like poverty and the legacy of racism. Walsh said that is the symptom on other standardized tests as well.
“There’s not a test in the country that doesn’t have disproportionate performance on the part of blacks and Latinos,” Walsh said.
Oh, FFS!!!! The demographic makeup of the teachers workforce isn’t nearly as important as the actually literacy of the teacher workforce. It’s not relevant. What is relevant is the teacher’s ability to teach beyond what is expected of our students.
As to the reason why Blacks and Latinos aren’t scoring as well doesn’t have a damned thing to do with poverty and legacy of racism. WTF? Because someone’s grandma suffered under racism means the grandchild can’t score well on a test? I’d venture to bet that it has a lot more to do with affirmative action than anything else. Affirmative action requires lowering standards, thus, the people who got in (college for teaching) because of the lowered standards are probably the ones failing the tests. If they lowered the standards to let white people in, they would most likely be failing the tests.
Later on in the article it becomes critical of the test, itself. It may or may not be true that the test was poorly designed. And, also, not relevant to the larger question. If it was designed poorly, then, design it better.
Others in the article stated that the test was redundant. Clearly, the other tests were not stringent enough.
When the demographic makeup of the teaching workforce becomes more important than the individual teacher’s ability and knowledge base, then, we’re working against the student. It’s just that simple.
suyts space 
compared with 64 percent of white candidates….
That number will be the first to fall…….they don’t speak Ebonics
That seems to be their point though…..the white kids are throwing off the bell curve
Have you seen Space Emperor Clinton’s new outfit?
https://de.nachrichten.yahoo.com/kampfansage-holt-hillary-clinton-jetzt-zum-trump-gegenschlag-aus-101656695.html
“Kate Walsh, the president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, said that the reason that blacks and Latinos don’t score as well as whites on the literacy test is because of various factors like poverty and the legacy of racism. ”
Well what could possibly go wrong with a flaming moron in charge.
“As to the reason why Blacks and Latinos aren’t scoring as well doesn’t have a damned thing to do with poverty and legacy of racism. WTF? Because someone’s grandma suffered under racism means the grandchild can’t score well on a test? I’d venture to bet that it has a lot more to do with affirmative action than anything else.”
Correct for average brain volume by race and you’re right there.
Dumber teachers making dumber students making dumber teachers. Learn these two words parents to be, if none else.
Home. School.
Absolutely!
No, we are not now dumbing down teachers. We have simply given up trying to set standards for them. The abolition of the test did not occur before the teachers were proven to be stupid. It was in response to them being shown to be stupid.
But it is part of the plan. The children of the ruling class will go to private schools where they will learn. But the children of the rest of the population will remain ignorant so they have to depend upon the government for their daily bread. Totalitarians require 2 things. Stupid people and power. Now they have both (at least in the inner cities).
Indeed. Go read some of Dr. Sowell’s books on this subject, over the last 40 years.
Schooling != education. Education is personal. See one, do one, teach one. Schooling is, at best, a facilitator; and at worst, an inhibitor of one’s education.
Schooling facilitates education.
Not always, though.
“Effective” Schooling. You are correct as there is not a lot of effective schooling.
Actually, too much effective schooling, for one side.
When the demographic makeup of the teaching workforce becomes more important than the individual teacher’s ability and knowledge base, then, we’re working against the student. It’s just that simple
…and sad.
It’s not even the demographic of the makeup of the teaching workforce. It tells only the proportion of test takers that fail:
just 46 percent of Hispanic test-takers and 41 percent of black test-takers passed it on the first try, compared with 64 percent of white candidates
it does not tell the number of hispanics or black teachers in the workforce. It may be above average, but with a test one cannot put any person of ‘his’ choosing in that role. the respective person needs to be at least able to pass the test…
BTW, if one is not sending the children to state education and trains them home, a proportional part of the taxes should theoretically be reduced – in this case it can be argued that, as the teachers do not pass a certain standard, the education they offer is = 0
Wondering why do the SJW not apply the same criteria to all sport teams, starting from basketball and ending with chess? Also to the players that go to the Olympics?
… and all people should wear shoes number 9.
The govt of Berlin is currently trying to find out the reason for the overrepresentation of “refugees” in jails! I guess is we’re RACISTS! Give’em time, they’ll eventually say it! (government is SPD Marxists + Green Marxists + Ex-SED-now-Die-Linke Marxists)
The Greek call it the Procrustean Bed. Imagine, they not only invented communism (Plato), they also had stories about the inevitable consequence!
hehe, true! & not only that, they even have the solution to it:
Theseus turned the tables on Procrustes, fatally adjusting him to fit his own bed.
http://mythweb.com/encyc/entries/procrustes.html
Study: 4-in-5 Oklahoma City students can’t read clocks
In a school that has a majority Latino population,…..
………..it’s help they don’t always get at home. (I’m sure she meant well)
http://kfor.com/2017/03/12/study-4-in-5-oklahoma-city-students-cant-read-clocks/