The district's students scored a combined verbal and math average of 1,004 on the College Board tests, compared with a state average of 1,012.
On the College Boards, the class of 1997-98, the last year for which statistics are available, scored a combined verbal and math average of 1,040, 15 points below the state average.
It's especially troubling that four years ago, when today's American eighth graders were in fourth grade, as a group they ranked better -- well above the international math average on an earlier version of the same test, scoring behind their peers in only seven countries.
Likewise, researchers from the American Enterprise Institute found that between 2000 and 2007, for every additional 100 foreign workers coming into this country with an advanced "STEM" degree -- science, technology, engineering, or math -- an average of 262 new jobs were created for native-born U.S. citizens.
Mr. Abrams's memo said the tests would grow to more than four hours — over several days — for reading, from about two-and-a-half hours now, and to three hours or more for math, from an average of two hours now.
Attitude toward math class was an average of two items from the NELS:88 survey (I look forward to math class; I think math will be important in my future).
Do the math: that's an average of about four miles an hour.
On state tests in reading, math and science, an average of 88 percent of students across grades and subjects met proficiency standards, compared with 73 percent three years ago.
On the New York State English Language Arts Assessment Tests for 2008-09, the latest year for which figures were available, 75 percent of students in Grades 5, 6 and 7 at Haverstraw Middle School met or exceeded proficiency standards for English Language Arts, and 89 percent met standards for math, compared with an average of 80 percent statewide and 90 percent respectively.
If you do the math, that's an average of about $700,000 loaned per employee -- nice bucks if you can get it -- which may explain, in part, why firms such as LBI failed.
For those not doing the math, that's an average of 19.4 yards per rush.
