joe wrote on June 01, 2009 10:15 AM: If people needed to pass a proficiency exam for the right to become parents we'd have a much lower population and teachers would have classrooms full of intelligent, responsible kids. Fact, parents are the primary role-models for their kids and thus the primary cause of them failing to excel.

Ben wrote on May 31, 2009 09:50 AM: djones... A stable home life AND, it appears, a parent who states, "My biggest worry before my daughter got to HS was her passing the proficiencies." Concern is the first step to raising successful children. I suspect your interest in your daughter's education went well beyond concern, however. Thank you for giving credit to the schools, but please be sure to give yourself a huge pat on the back. I have a strong feeling you deserve it. More parents like you would make all the difference in the world when it comes to graduation rates. Thank you for making a difference.

djones wrote on May 30, 2009 11:28 PM: My biggest worry before my daughter got to HS was her passing the proficiencies. I kept hearing the horror stories. She passed them in her Junior year. What a relief. She moved to CA for her Senior year (for instate college tuition) and had to take them again!!!!! Different state, different test. She passed them the first time.

Say what you want about the schools in Clark County. They must have done something right. She's been an A/B student her entire school life in Las Vegas. And to go to a whole different school system and maintain those grades, I do give credit to our schools. Maybe having a stable home life helped too.

Ben wrote on May 30, 2009 09:43 PM: As a student, my parents made certain that I did well at school. There were real consequences if I did not! Times have changed, and now it's always the fault of teachers if Johnny chooses to misbehave in school or fails to study as he should. I'm sometimes lucky if half my students turn in homework, and if I bring it to the attention of parents, they're angry at me because I've set the bar too high.

You people who blindly believe whatever the R-J tells you about the sorry state of public education don't have a clue. Many of you are most likely the parents who think it's up to the schools to raise your children and try to keep them on track when they come to school distraught from the effects of broken homes or parents who think love has a dollar sign in front of it.

Give me a break!

Abolish_public_education wrote on May 30, 2009 05:40 PM: Sue Daellenbach, director of testing and accountability for CCSD said: My guess is that we're not going to be far off last year's graduation rate, which was 85 percent

Another bureaucrat. Does Sue report to the Vice Principal of Statistical Normalization or the Assistant Superintendent for Revised Formula? As many commenters have noted, this proficiency exam is a joke. CCSD provides McEducation. Why do so many parents favor higher spending on public education? When will folks realize that the system is hopelessly broken? It cannot be reformed. 20 years from now public school performance will be even worse. How many more generations of kids are we prepared to ruin in the name of social engineering? Amazing how 800 kids who can't pass the exam still have enough credits to graduate.

Jeff wrote on May 30, 2009 05:10 PM: I guess in Nevada it's more important to be able to play sports than it is to be able to add 2+2l, or to be able to complete a sentence. After all, you can get a job in a casino washing dishes, or cleaning up after tourists.

MysterMr wrote on May 30, 2009 04:05 PM: Oh, the answer to this has to be MORE MONEY! If we pay people who do a crappy job MORE money, they do better, right?

I mean, if I have a business, and let's say i have an employee who fails completely at their job, I just keep giving them raises until their job performace is better, is that how it works?

Sabrina wrote on May 30, 2009 04:01 PM: I am a High School senior, and graduating this year. I think the State profiecincies were somewhat Hard. Especially the Math test and it it not helping anyone that they are raising the test standards next year. There wont be anyone walking in the 2010 class at this rate.

Mac wrote on May 30, 2009 03:20 PM: The answer is obvious! Raise taxes! A bumper sticker I saw swore this would fix everything...

I'd like to see the statistics on home-schooled kids...

Riley, how much of your school's budget went for things OTHER than quality education? School's already have the money they need if they USE IT PROPERLY. You can't fix it by just throwing more money at it. And you can't fix kids and parents who DON'T CARE no matter how much money you throw at it, unless you throw THEIR OWN money at it.

Riley wrote on May 30, 2009 03:06 PM: This is truly ridiculous. I was raised in the Nevada public education system, passed ALL of the proficiency tests the FIRST time, and graduated in 2006 with high honors. I remember those tests being a complete JOKE. Someone should make sure this article is sent to Gibbons. Lets see what he says about cutting the budgets for education after this!

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