July 9, 2004
All Left Behind?
John Venlet brings back to life this interesting 1895 8th grade final exam that, as his commenter Gary points out, has been on the net for a while. You can read the Snopes article and judge for yourself rather this interesting historical document reflects a decline in education standards and achievement. I suspect the success distribution in 1895 was little different from what might be achieved by today's students on today's tests.
For instance, here are some sample questions used as preparation for the Washington State 8th grade math assessment exam. After scratching their heads a bit over vacuum cleaners, pizzas and robotics the very brightest of the 1895 8th graders might have cut through the verbal cuteness and been able to solve the math.
Of course, nothing herein should be taken to suggest that huge improvements are not only possible but necesssary in the US educational system.
Posted by Steve on July 9, 2004
