NEW YORK ENDS LITERACY TEST FOR TEACHERS

New York State is scrapping a test designed to measure the reading and writing skills of people trying to become teachers. 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, because an outsized percentage of black and Hispanic candidates were failing the test. The tests 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.
* On the bright side, so many of those that failed the literacy test – of all races – have found jobs in the local TV news industry.
* So just give everyone a participation trophy and let them start teaching.
* Wow – this takes “Those who can’t do, teach” to a whole new level.
* Take your New York literacy test and fuggedaboutit.
* Boy that push for “American exceptionalism” sure didn’t last long.
* Hey, in this world of texting, literacy isn’t that important anyway.
* Let’s look at it this as a positive: Maybe the teachers and students can all learn how to read and write together.
* If you’re trying to figure out how our education system got so screwed up, this is what used to be called a “teachable moment.”
* Let’s take a second to admire these teachers: Do you know how hard it is to face a classroom full of students when you have no clue what you’re doing?