[News] Dinosaurs and dancing are disturbing topics!

[HCGLNS]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/out_of_the_question_YegJJGCOo33j0CQsccdZuL

OK I understand that they are trying not to offend people, and those intentions are noble. Yet some of this topics are crucial to the history of the United States. How do you have a standardized test on US History without discussing slavery?

If the trend continues what will they eventually be left with?

 

[sixpackshaker]

Might as well link a post from the Onion.

 

[Eriol]

I keep thinking of that early Simpsons episode where the kids learn about the 10 commandments & Hell, and they ask the kids in the car what they learned in Sunday School, culminating in Bart's quote of "How the hell, can I talk about Hell, without saying the word Hell?"

(I think I got that quote right, it's from memory, and I couldn't find the clip, or I'd link that)

 

[sixpackshaker]

I just remember having to sit through an inservice about not using words or phrases that are particular to one culture group or another. Like if you use the word "pond" on a test the kids from West Texas would not know what it is. All they have are stock tanks (artificial ponds.)

 

[Tress]

The first line of that story actually uses the word in "educrat" in a serious context. That is the best indication that it's a hack story from a worthless rag.

 

[sixpackshaker]

If the story is true, what should be offensive is that NYC spent serious money on overtime and pulled teachers out of their classrooms to form committees to come up with words that would not offend or insult the underprivileged. Or worse yet, hired a consulting firm to come up with that policy.

 

[Yoshimickster]

This is what your political correct-ness gets you Libbies! I HOPE YOUR HAPPY!

Adendum: No I'm not a Republican, studying Libertarian.

 

[Mathias]

While I do think that it's a little over the top, there have been a number of issues and studies dealing with standardized testing not being able to adequately measure students' abilities simply because the questions weren't written in correct context. For example, an inner city kid may not relate to a math question dealing with tractors, while a rural kid might not understand a social studies question about subway systems etc...

But to cut stuff out for possibly being offensive... That's really stupid. This is the side of teaching I really hate. The please everyone approach.

 

[Terrik]

Especially when it's impossible to please everyone.

 

[HCGLNS]

I refuse to have your filthy numerology stuffed down my childs throat!

 

[sixpackshaker]

I refuse to have your filthy numerology stuffed down my childs throat!

That is what homeschooling is for.

 

[Yoshimickster]

Keepin' dinosaurs away from our history books, IS NOTHING SACRED! Next thing you know were gonna pretend like the Dino/Prussian war didn't happen, and that war was important. So many Prussians died awesome deaths that day.

 

[LittleSin]

I...can't believe this is real.

The fact that this list exist offends me!

 

[Yoshimickster]

It's similar to those Huckleberry Finn books where they took out all instances of the N-word.

 

[Necronic]

Eh, it's not that strange. Testing is an incredibly delicate science. It's not about making people feel warm and fuzzy, it's about getting the most accurate and least biased results. If they have seen indicators that these topics cause some sway in the testing (which I could definitely see for something like the Dinosaur issue), then they should be removed. This may lead to some stuff that seems "overly PC" but what it really is is just trying to remove any kind of bias whatsoever.

My girlfriend is studying her School Psych PHD right now and is doing a lot of assesments (tests) this year, and some of the rules about how to administer the test seem completely pointless or overly strict, but they are incredibly important to getting the best possible results.

 

[Hailey Knight]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/out_of_the_question_YegJJGCOo33j0CQsccdZuL

OK I understand that they are trying not to offend people, and those intentions are noble.

No, they're not.

 

[evilmike]

Sadly, when I saw the thread title, this was the first thing I thought of:

 

[SpecialKO]

If this is true, it's horrifying.

But it's also the NYPost. I'm going to need some corroboration before I take anything they say at face value.

 

[Bowielee]

Why, oh, WHY DID I START READING THE COMMENTS SECTION?

I know exactly how stupid and faith in humanity destroying it is, but I do it ever time.... UGH!

 

[Yoshimickster]

Why, oh, WHY DID I START READING THE COMMENTS SECTION?

I know exactly how stupid and faith in humanity destroying it is, but I do it ever time.... UGH!

Did you not read that epic poem that guy posted? Kick ass!

 

[Necronic]

As an example of the seemingly over the top attention to detail etc that some of these tests have: This weekend one of Christie's cohort administered the Woodcock-Johnson IQ test to me for practice this weekend (and yeah, that's actually the name). It was a three hour test, a couple hundred questions. For some questions she was supposed to say things like "That's good" when you got a correct answer, and not do that for others, often these would be back to back on the same page.

It seems like an incredibly minor thing, but if she doesn't do that one strange step correctly she can't get certified for it.