In New Jersey, the average spending in 2004-05 was $13,800 per student. The Garden State was second only to New York, which spent $14,119 per pupil. Spending in the Passaic school district that year was an average of $15,531, according to Census figures. In the Paterson school district, the average per pupil cost was $16,302.According to the state Department of Education, classroom instruction accounts for most spending per pupil, largely because of teacher salaries and benefits, class size and types of programs.
-------------------------------------------
TT - An examination at the report card for New Jersey by the Alliance for Excellent Education reveals the expenditure in education in New Jersey isn't reflected in the results.
Finding: GRADUATION RATES: New Jersey ranks 1st in the nation.
New Jersey 88%
National 70%
Reality: Standardized testing documents grade inflation and test-rigging is a subject of a criminal investigation in Camden. From the Report Card:
Proficient means performing at grade level."According to New Jersey’s state test, 74% of eighth graders are proficient or above in reading; according to the national test (NAEP), 37% of New Jersey eighth graders are proficient or above in reading. (The average gap between the number of students reported proficient or above in reading by states and those reported by NAEP is 35.3%.)
According to New Jersey’s state test, 65% of eighth graders are proficient or above in mathematics; according to NAEP, 36% of New Jersey’s eighth graders are proficient or above in mathematics. (The average gap between the number of students reported proficient or above in mathematics by states and those reported by NAEP is 28%.)
One of the reasons for the No Child Left Behind Act - to eliminate state tests that were continually being dumbed down to avoid detection and prevent accountability.
TEACHER PAY
Teacher Pay: New Jersey ranks 8th in the nation.
New Jersey Beginning Teacher Salary = $37,061
National Beginning Teacher Salary = $31,704
New Jersey Average Teacher Salary =$53,663
National Average Teacher Salary = $46,597
Cheating on standardized tests by teachers isn't unique to New Jersey. Here
Business Week (2004) story on test-rigging.
The U.S. Census Bureau Report. Released May 24, 2007. The top three were New York that spent $14,119 per student — the highest amount among states and state equivalents. Just behind was neighboring New Jersey at $13,800, the District of Columbia at $12,979.
You don't have to guess at the proficiency rate of any of the three. The U.S. Department of Education maintains a National Report Card. District of Columbia = 13% of 8th graders are proficient (at grade level) or above in reading. Only 9% of 8th graders are proficient (at grade level) or above in math. For a whopping $13,280 a year per student.
Why does New York test higher? They've had Regents Examinations for decades. Standardized testing.
No comments:
Post a Comment