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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 1995)
E d u ca tio n A ugust 16, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver P age A4 y Paulus Says State Math, Science Scores Unacceptable State School Supt. Norrna Paulus today said 1995 Oregon math and science test results are unacceptable. Paulus held a press conference today in Salem to announce results of 1995 state tests. Students in grades 3.5,8 and 1 1 took tests in math, sci ence and reading. Students in grades 5 and 1 1 also took writing tests. Math results show performance changed little from 1994 results. About one-fifth of 3rd, 5th and 8th graders and more than one-third o f 11th grad ers performed below grade level. The first-ever sc ience test found that about one-third o f 8th and 11th graders scored below grade level. In addition to the multiple-choice math test, Oregon initiated “ open- ended" math tests which require stu dents to solve complicated story prob lems and explain their answers. Stu dents in grades 4 and 8 did not per form well when asked to apply math in these problem-solving situations. “ While this is our first year test ing science, this is the fourth time I ’ ve sounded the alarm about poor performance in math,” said Paulus. “ Too many students are skip ping high-level math and science courses, and it shows.” For example, 24 percent o f Oregon high school students last year were enrolled in remedial and general math courses while only 9 percent took trigonom etry or calculus. Paulus urged parents to steer their children into tougher math and science classes. “ Higher standards are sacrificed when parents allow their children to take easier classes whether the reason is protecting the GPA or holding down a minimum- and require all students to take alge bra “ I urge other districts to follow Portland’s lead.” She called upon the teachers’ union to put more effort into retrain ing teachers to help students prepare wage job in the evenings. I’ d rather have a student get a B in calculus than an A in general math.” She also urged parents to de mand that their local school boards hire math and science majors to teach Too many students are skipping high-level math and science courses, and it shows. State School Supt. Norma Paulus these critical subjects. “ We need qualified teachers if we expect our students to meet higher standards.” She applauded Portland School District which, beginning with the 1996-97 school year, will eliminate high school general math courses for the 21 st century. “ They need to put as much muscle into training competent teachers to use new meth ods as they do into defending incom petent teachers from being fired.” Paulus said, however, she is pleased that the president o f the Portland teachers’ union stood up in support for school improvement and teacher training. Paulus said poor student perfor mance is an economic as well as an academic issue. “ Dollars spent on remediation drain precious resourc es,” she said. "Right now, 35 percent ofcollege freshmen take remedial math courses and 20 percent take remedial writing. The buck has been passed all the way up the schooi system.” Paulus is gratified that the 1995 Legislature strengthened rather than repealed the school improvement law. “ W e’ re now in the final stages o f planningand moving into implemen tation,” she said. “ It’s important that people understand that the standards are very high and today students are a long way from reaching them.” W riting is the bright note in state testing. Eleventh graders showed gains in all areas o f writing and fifth graders also showed strong improve- ment. “ Particularly impressive were the gains by 1 1th graders in spelling. Grammar and punctuation,” Paulus said. “ It’ s important that students express themselves c learly and know the fundamentals o f good writing mechanics.” Reading scores remained the same at grades 5,8 and 1 1. However, the score forgrade 3 dropped I point. One-third or more o f students at all four grade levels scored in the ad vanced level o f reading performance. Paulus expressed concern about low participation rates in some schools. “ The scores at a particular school might be misleading if a sig nificant percentage o f students were not tested.” Missing Ingredient To Quality Education Students Learn How bv R osemarv D lnstan Is Y ourC hild Prepared For Life? It’s no wonder students are grad uating from school unable to read or write at a level adequate to hold a job or deal with life. In 1993 the “ New Y o rk Times” reported that businesses lose between $25 billion to $30 billion nationwide in lost productivity, errors and acci- dents-due to substandard literacy skills o f employees. And an alarming study released by the U.S. Dept. o f Education in 1993 found that about 49% o f the American adult population can per form only the barest o f tasks such as signing their names, adding up a bank deposit slip, or finding an intersec tion on a map. The U.S. Secretary o f Educa tion, Richard Riley, called the find ings a "wake-up call to the sheer magnitude o f illiteracy in this coun try.” W e’ re all familiar with the rou tine o f going to school, sitting in the classroom, the teacher presenting information to us, and taking tests. But did anyone ever teach us how to study a subject, so that the subject was fully understood, and most im portantly, so that the data could be used in life. In all o f your schooling did anyone ever teach you how to study? This gaping hole has been filled by a breakthrough educational tech nology developed by author and hu manitarian, L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard isolated the three hid den barriers to leaning and devel oped a simple, yet precise method to overcome these called ‘ Study Tech nology’ . The Study Technology provides an understanding o f the basics o f learning and gives exact steps to over come the pitfalls one can run into during studying. It is not speed read ing or memory tricks-these haven’t proven to raise literacy or raise one’s ability to comprehend. The Study technology teaches a student how to study in order to comprehend a sub ject so that the data can be applied, and provides lifelong learning skills that can be used to master any sub ject. Applied Scholastics Internation al, a non-profit organization based in L o s A n g e le s, w h ich u tiliz e s Hubbard’s Study Technology to im prove the quality o f education in communities around the world, be lieves that there is a direct link be tween study difficulties and the high levels o f crime, violence and drug use we see in the headlines today. “ In our rem edial education projects which we have been running in select inner-city areas (beginning in South Central Los Angeles after the c ivil unrest o f 1992), we are finding almost one-for-one that gang members and youth well on the way to a life o f serious crime or substance abuse have significant study prob lems” , said Ian Lyons, President o f Applied Scholastics. "These children tend to have reading levels far below average and they have great difficul ty learning.” “ What is remarkable, however, is that when these study problems are handled in our programs, these chil dren in most cases cease to be attract ed to either drugs or crime.” A study published by the U.S. Department o f Education backs this up—the study found that 85% o f all juvenile offenders have trouble read ing; and 65% o f prison inmates are illiterate. (These percentages could be even higher, as the study was conducted in the mid-80’s, while lit eracy levels have continued to drop through the 90’ s.) Parents can benefit greatly from the lessons learned in these highly successful inner-city literacy pro grams, and any parent can improve the quality o f his ch ild’ s education by assisting with their studies at home utilizing this breakthrough technolo gy- For more information call 800- 424-5397. Sinbad Tells America’s Teenagers: Get Math And Science Or Get Left Behind When more than 18 m illion American middle, junio r and high school students return totheirclasses for the new school year, over half w ill be tempted to make the mistake o f their lives -- without even know ing it. According to a Louis Harris Poll commissioned and just released by N A C M E -- the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineer ing — more than 50 percent o f all students plan to drop high school level mathematics and science, re gardless o f their career interests and without knowing the most serious consequences. Schools are failing to tell stu dents and parents that without the skills acquired in academic track math and science courses, they w ill have no place in the workforce o f the coming century - a workforce heavi ly reliant on high technology. The only 10 percent o f all stu dents in the United States graduate from high school with the requisite skills to begin any science-based course o f study in college is sending warning signals, not only to parents and educators but to business and industry as well. ” Scientists and engineers will play a vital role in defining our country’s economic productivity in the 21st century,” said Dr. George Campbell Jr., president o f N A C M E. “ I f the Untied States can’t produce the engi neers and scientists the global mar ketplace needs, business and indus try w ill go elsewhere - South Amer ica, Eastern Europe, the Pacific Rim - and the standard o f living we now enjoy w ill be imperiled," he added. The Harris Poll reveals that kids and parents need to think long and hard about any advice they may re ceive that suggests students can or should opt out o f math and science. The poll indicates that no coun seling, poor counseling and incor rect counseling is leading to bad de cisions, nationwide; Over 50 percent o f all students plan to drop math and science at the first opportunity. In discussing math ematics, 63 percent o f African Amer icans, 60 percent o f Latino, and 58 percent o f American Indian students express this. Tennessee State University To Dedicate New Residence Center To Olympic Great Wilma Rudolph Mention W'ilma Rudolph’s name and most people think Olympic gold. That name w ill once again be dis played in gold on the new Wilma G. Rudolph Residence Center at Ten nessee State University that opened officially in August. Rudolph is one ofthe University’ s most famous alum ni and the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympiad. A special dedication and rib bon-cutting ceremony took place August 11 at 10 a m. in front o f the Center located on Tennessee State University’s main campus, 3500 John M erritt B lvd R udolph's former coach, the legendary Edward Tem ple who inspired her to Olympic v ic tory, was among a notable line-up presenting remarks Temple coached R udolph d u rin g her days as a Tigerbelle on the Tennessee State University track team. The Residence Center, a mod ern, six-story brick and pre-cast con crete structure, w ill be home for as many as 420 women in suite-style rooms, some o f which are handicap accessible. Amenities w ill include: a cafeteria, a beauty salon, laundry fa cilities, study lounges, social loung es and computers. The facility also w ill have an honors floor designated for honors students. Students living in the Center also can participate in periodic social, cultural and educa tional programs. Dr. James Hefner, president of Tennessee State University, said, "W ilm a Rudolph was an example to us not only in winning in sports, but she also taught us the meaning o f triumphing over the odds and win ning at life. Because o f the strength o f character with which she faced life’s challenges, we are indeed proud and honored to dedicate Tennessee State University's newest Residence Center in her name.” Temple said, “The Center is cer tainly named after a class young lady. It’s a great tribute. W ilm a would have been awfully happy that such a magnificent structure was named in her honor.” Temple also recalled that Rudolph saw the Center under con struction before her death and re marked about its beauty. Wilma Glodean Rudolph first raced her way into the record books in 1956 when she won a bronze med al in the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, at only 15 years o f age She struck gold in 1960 and became the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympi ad She claimed victory in the 100 and 200 meter dash and the 400 meter relay at the Olympic Games in Rome. Media worldwide began tout ing her as “the fastest woman in the world.” She was now the world's sweet heart, but she was not one to rest on her laurels. She went on to become an inspiring speaker, a community and business leader and an example to young people and people o f all ages. She had a particular interest in making a contribution to the youth of America and spent countless hours in community service programs for their benefit. She was quoted in Mid way Magazine (August 1991 issue) as saying “ I would be disappointed if I was only remembered as a runner, because I feel my contribution to the youth o f America has far exceeded the woman who was the Olympic champion.” During her early years, howev er, Rudolph was racing against the many physical challenges she was forced to face. Her childhood years were dotted with a series o f devastat ing illnesses which included polio, scarlet fever and double pneumonia. She wore a leg brace until age nine. After the brace came off, she learned that she could run, and the world would soon have to brace itself for her accomplishments. Among those accomplishments was winning the 1961 Sullivan Award presented by the Amateur Athletic Union for most outstanding amateur athlete in any sport. This award is the highest athletic award an amateur athlete can receive. Another achieve ment was earning a bachelor's de gree in education from Tennessee State University in 1963. Rudolph died o f cancer Nov. 12, 1994. Government Works ?ep. Margaret Carter (from left) and Albina Youtn upponunuy School students Theressa Cook, Mylo Moore, Rebecca Magallon C hric D nco a t the ra n itn l in S alem . Five area students got a lesson in government near the end o f the 1995 Legislature as guests o f State Rep. Margaret Carter, D-Portland. The students from the Albina Youth Opportunity School in north Portland were Theressa Cook. Rebecca Magallon, M ylo Moore, Chris Rose and Andrea Vega. The were joined by A Y O S Head T each- er Jeri Shaw and Diane Farmer Linkhart, a school representative. The group was escorted on a personal tourofthe capitol building in Salem, currently being renovat ed and assisted in duties on the floor o f the House o f Representatives. As honorary pages during a spe cial educational day, they also took turns observing restricted entry to the Legislative session and delivered messages to the busy legislators. Moore was chosen to act as Carter’s personal aide, gaining first hand experience about the legisla tive activity that surrounds the north and northeast Portland official. After lunch in the Capitol build ing, the students worked in the of fices o f Carter and State Rep. Avel Gordly, who represents northeast Portland. The students agreed that it was an intense day o f learning how Or egon laws are enacted and they planned to share their knowledge and experience with other students at the school. School Offices Open Aug. 21 For Registration School offices in all Portland Public Schools open for new stu dent registration beginning Aug. 2 1 from 8 a m. to 4:30 p.m. To register, parents must pro vide documents citing their child’ s birthdate (k in d e rg a rte n and prekindergarten students), up-to- date immunization records (all stu dents new to Portland P ublic Schools) and other information re lating to the child’ s home address and emergency contacts. Sixth-graders and high school freshman can attend special orien tation sessions scheduled at most middle and high schools before school officially begins on Sept. 5. Parents and students can call their neighborhood school for orienta tion dates and times. Teachers and counselors w ill return to schools Aug. 29 for plan ning. Hispanic Stay-In-School Program To Expand A Portland-area program that encourages H ispanic students to com plete high school and pursue higher education w ill be expanded thanks to a three-year $140,000 grant by the Meyer Memorial Trust. The Oregon Council for H is panic Advancement and its Oregon Leadership Program w ill use the monies to serve about 75 high school students from throughout the Port land area and Willamette Valley. The program is based at Port land State University and Clackamas Community College. It helps H is panic students develop leadership skills, explore career options and gain access to institutions o f higher edu cation. The grant w ill allow the institute to expand to four new locations be yond the Portland area and reach an additional 200 students statewide, said Dianna Villarreal, Oregon Lead ership Institute director. The program consists o f nine eight-hour classes one Saturday per month from October through June. Students hear guest speakers, acquire new leadership skills and learn how to give effective presentations and interviews. The students also develop inter- cultural communications skills, learn about the history o f Hispanics in Oregon, gain information about ca reer opportunities and learn how the Oregon legislative system operates. . ! , -