SAT scores for the class of 2006 are the lowest in over 30 years so is the U.S. on the right track?

Question

It sounds like the whole country has the potential for being "Left Behind."

Answer 1

Perhaps, but the SAT isn't a measure of overall school performance. The SAT is usually taken by college-bound juniors and seniors. But more sophmores and freshman now take the test for preparation purposes.

And a "college bound" junior isn't the top tier of the high school anymore, either. Not to say this in an insulting manner, but a lot more of the "dumber kids" in school take the SAT, as more students go to college.

As a former teacher, I put forth a novel idea: year-round schools, with promotion whenever a student masters certain skills, not just a promotion over the summer. That way kids who are 'slow' are constantly in the best environment for their level, rather than being kicked into a class where they are lost.

Answer 2

SAT score records are not accurate. When I was in highschool I felt as if i was EXPECTED to take the SAT. That was the attitude for the entire school. So, about 50% of the graduating class was planning to go to college or Tech school, but 90% ended up taking the SAT. How do you think those other 40% did on the SAT? Their scores "Brought down" the average for everyone else.

Now we are in a day and age when more and more people realize that they NEED to go to college in order to be able to do anything with their lives, so more and more people are taking the SAT and what is happening? The low end of the bell curve is getting larger and larger.

Instead of improving the quality of education all we are doing is loosening the requirements for students to pass. Which in turn make the students feel like they are too good to dig ditches, flip hamburgers, nail shingles, clean motels, and pick up road kill. So that creates a large unemployed workforce of under-educated, under qualified, young adults, meanwhile creating an entire huge job market for illegal aliens, who end up making more than a lot of college graduates because they don't pay taxes.

Answer 3

Your right we are being left behind. We have dropped for the last 30 years from #1 to #33 in the world.
Modern Liberal Educational methods are destroying us.
No child Left Behind has an uphill battle against an established Institution of incompetence. The teachers unions and Left Political Ideology along with their propaganda machine will not allow change from the status quo without a fight.
Just look at answer #1
The one program that brought to account the Left dominated Public school incompetence is demonized. No Child Left behind is trying to force educational institutions to actually educate children and stop graduating kids who can`t read or write like they were in the 80`s and 90`s.
No Child Left Behind has reveled that the Bastion of Modern teaching methods, California, ranks 48th in the nation. That is right above Mississippi, 49th, in being able to educate children to minimum standards.
Yet you would never know it by the propaganda.
The Teachers are not at fault in this. It is the teaching Colleges that teach them the methods that California has developed and uses so well. These teachers Colleges have been putting out teachers for 40 years now, that no fault of their own, are incompetent at educating and indoctrinated into a Left wing Ideology.
Remember, the Factory schools that have been destroyed falsely as racist and unfair in America are the very types of schools that are beating us around the world, and once made us #1.
Remember, those kids with only a dirt floor and black board are out performing our kids.

Answer 4

USA TODAY
Some colleges are reporting double-digit drops in the average SAT scores of applicants this year, even as other credentials, such as class rank and college-prep coursework, remained similar to or grew stronger than last year's.
Among schools reporting large drops: The nine-campus University of California system, which saw a 15-point drop on average among applicants, Average composite scores for the ACT, a rival college entrance exam, were unchanged from last year.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-05-10-SAT-worries_x.htm?ord=1

Answer 5

You are right, and No this country is in trouble. The "MTV" generation will provide this country with many uneducated people, most will not graduate from a college. We will have many unskilled high school graduates entering a workforce already in trouble due to low wages, outsourcing, illegal immigrants, downsizing, corporate greed and corruption, and expensive healthcare premiums which many companies will not even be offering soon. And with the booming population this will create more unemployment,high crime rates, drug use, poverty, workplace violence, you name something bad it will likely happen due to the way this country is going. It will be the next generation that saves us from these mistakes but that will be too little too late for many and I see nothing good happening in this country for decades to come. Sorry.

Answer 6

Until the kids today learn the importance of hard work and education the scores will continue to drop. Its NOT the educational systems fault, its the attitude of parents that is at fault.

Answer 7

Add this with rising tuition fees and America will rarely see working professionals born and raised in America. They are going to hire educated foreigners. Sucks, huh?

So, don't leave home. Live with Mom and Dad as long as you can and continue with education. America is falling apart. I would've never finished school without my parents help!!!

Answer 8

I blame it on society. Society is getting stupider and stupider everyday. Its like the TV rules the universe. I was brought up watching Carebears and the Simpsons and now my sister was brought up by watching Teletubbies and That 70's show.

Answer 9

That "No Child Left Behind" program is really working.

Answer 10

it took america ten years to realize that they're "left behind" it'll take another ten for them to do something about it...