MATT SMITH spoke of Re: Students... to DAN TRIPLETT on 02-28-97
MS>DT> Washington State is well on it's way toward implementing the 
MS>DT> Certificate 
MS>DT> of Mastery.  A diploma is earned through seat time.  It will mean
MS>DT> nothing....but a Certificate of Mastery is *Earned* by meeting
MS>DT> State  mandated standards.  Students in our states are tested in
MS>DT> 4th, 7th,  and 
MS>DT> 10th in regards to the new State Essential learnings.
MS>DT> Maybe the State is getting serious?
MS>    Only if the state is willing to deny Certificates of Mastery to
MS>all who  do not meet high standards, even if that means the
MS>politically-unpalatable  consequence of (at first) a high percentage
MS>not getting Certificates of  Mastery.  
You state the obvious here.  Still your point is a good one.  If they 
are not serious of denying Certificates...then there is no point in them 
at all.  I believe that the state is serious.  It won't be so much a 
question of denial as it will be a question of earning.  I like what one 
teacher friend said to a student who questioned a grade: "I didn't 
*give* you a B-.  You *earned* it."  The same can (or should be) said of 
any grade earned.  For certificates of mastery, there is no subjective 
criteria.  You either meet the standards or you don't.
MS>    And only if the state is willing to face the music if minority
MS>kids do  much worse than average in the process, resulting in
MS>disproportionately-few  minority kids getting Certificates of
MS>Mastery.  (This may be very  problematic to whatever extent
MS>minorities are significant in a state's  larger cities.)  
This point may come into play....I do not know...we do have a fair 
percentage of immigrants from Mexico as well as a Native American 
population.
One question that comes to my mind is in regard to home schoolers and 
private schools.  I am assuming that those students too much take and 
pass the state given exams.  On this I am not completely clear however.
Dan  
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