When Proficient is Not

In 1957, nine courageous students risked their lives to enter the Little Rock School District. Fifty-four years later, over 10,000 students annually (40% of total enrollment) are risking their futures because they can't leave.

In the 2010 Arkansas Augmented Benchmark Exams (released June 15, 2010), results are placed in four categories: 1) Below Basic, 2) Basic, 3) Proficient and 4) Advanced.

Both the Arkansas Department of Education and the Little Rock School District trumpet their trending gains in "Proficient" and "Advanced," but let's dig deeper on the latest scores in Little Rock.

Grade 3 (Of 1,990 Students Tested)

• 29% (577) were not proficient in math
• 42% (836) were not proficient in literacy

Grade 4 (Of 1,888 Students Tested)

• 32% (604) were not proficient in math
• 33% (623) were not proficient in literacy

Grade 5 (Of 1,849 Students Tested)

• 38% (703) were not proficient in math
• 39% (721) were not proficient in literacy
• 76% (1,405) were not proficient in science

Grade 6 (Of 1,762 Students Tested)

• 40% (705) were not proficient in math
• 43% (758) were not proficient in literacy

Grade 7 (Of 1,722 Students Tested)

• 45% (775) were not proficient in math
• 47% (809) were not proficient in math
• 82% (1,412) were not proficient in science

Grade 8 (Of 1,667 Students Tested)

• 57% (950) were not proficient in math
• 37% (617) were not proficient in literacy

So last year, in third through eighth grades:

• 4,314 out of 10,818 students tested (40%) were not proficient in math.
• 4,364 out of 10,818 students tested (40%) were not proficient in literacy.

And in fifth and seventh grades:

• 2,817 out of 3,571 students tested (79%) were not proficient in science.

These test results don't include Pre-K, K, first, second, ninth, tenth, eleventh or twelfth grades. Since those account for half of all grades, it would be generous to estimate that in 2010, approximately 10,000 (40%) of the district's over 25,000 students were not proficient in math and literacy.

Forget about science. The district certainly has.

Are parents so numbed by failure that they find the flood of undefined test results, accompanied by annual reports of incremental progress acceptable? Why are we not marching in the streets to close these failure factories and demand immediate excellence in our public schools?

The district's trumpeting of trending progress masks the reality that thousands of children are falling or have fallen so far behind they'll never catch up without immediate triage.

Now for the sucker punch. Here are the minimum raw scores (and converted percentages) to be deemed "proficient" on math, literacy and science for each of the tested grades: 

Grade 3

Math - 32 of 80 Raw Score (40%)
Literacy - 52 of 96 Raw Score (54.16%)

Grade 4 
Math - 35 of 80 Raw Score (43.75%)
Literacy - 51 of 96 Raw Score (53.13%)

Grade 5
Math - 39 of 80 Raw Score (48.75%)
Literacy - 57.5 of 96 Raw Score (59.9%)
Science - 40 of 80 Raw Score (50%) 

Grade 6 
Math - 38 of 80 Raw Score (47.5%)
Literacy - 57 of 96 Raw Score (59.38%) 

Grade 7
Math - 25 of 80 Raw Score (31.25%)
Literacy - 65.5 of 96 Raw Score (68.23%) 
Science - 43 of 80 Raw Score (53.75%) 

Grade 8 

Math - 29 of 80 Raw Score (36.25%)
Literacy - 67 of 96 Raw Score (69.79%)

Sure takes the bloom of that "proficient" rose.

The adjective "proficient" means "well-advanced or competent in any art, science or subject; skilled." The noun is defined as "an expert." Educators have simply made up a their own definition and are inexplicably misleading the public.

The illusion being perpetrated on parents and citizens is that "Advanced" is an A (90-100%), "Proficient" a B (80-89%), "Basic" a C (70-79%) grade, and "Below Basic" a D (60-69%) or F (0-59%).

In actuality, educators' celebrated "Proficient" means averages of the tested grades of 41.25% correct for math, 60.77% correct for literacy, and 51.875% correct for science. Two (Literacy and Science) of those three on any grading scale would be consider low F's, with Math hanging onto a D by less than a percentage point.

It's nothing short of fraud.

Nothing and no one should deflect or defer immediate delivery of world class education to all students. Anything less, and misguided and/or self-interested adults are denying our most vulnerable citizens an equal chance to compete in the world's widening meritocracy.

Source: Arkansas Augmented Benchmark Examinations Raw To Scale Score Conversion Tables April 2010 Administration 

Source: Augmented Benchmark Exams All Grades' Results within a District (Little Rock)