Deliberate Dumbing Down of America Public Education

429 consists of a number of specific research questions which will be addressed through the work of investigators at both U.C.-Berkeley and U.W.-Madison. The purpose of this project is to review existing research on performance-based assessment in education and discuss the use of these assessments in college admissions. This review will provide a broader understanding of the ways in which school-to-work and other K–14 reforms are being accommodated in the higher education admission policies and processes being adopted by institutions, particularly those with selective admissions criteria. At U.C.-Berkeley, investigators will identify 4–5 states that are beginning to develop new processes for admission and placement using performance-based assessment. Through a series of surveys, on-site and telephone interviews, the following will be examined: [Two of five areas of interest have been selected to illustrate the intent, ed.]... (3) Various approaches taken by select high schools in response to the initiative... and (5)The alignment of state K–12, K–14, or K–16 educational standards and industry and occupational standards with these assessments. At U.W.-Madison, investigators will complete quantitative and qualitative analyses of the early efforts to develop performance-based admissions and their initial effects on student experiences and outcomes in postsecondary education.... Essentially, the goal is to gener ate evidence that illustrates the innovative developments, benefits and limitations of using performance-based assessments for college admissions that support models of continuous, seamless learning focused simultaneously on careers and college. Researchers intend to conduct the following studies: • Examine the efficacy, validity and reliability of the CBA for admitting high school graduates with intensive, career-focused high school experiences. • Explore the link between college experiences with earlier career-related learning as provided and documented in the CBA process. Both the U.C.-Berkeley and U.W.-Madison researchers will use their research to write a proposal for consideration by the governing boards and administrative leaders of four-year colleges and universities, both public and private. A meeting will then be convened with high-level representatives of four-year colleges and universities to discuss this proposal. The investigators’ findings will also be used to complete a report which reviews research and current practice, analyzes performance-based admission efforts, and discusses the pro posal regarding the use of performance-based assessment. Finally, one or two briefs will be published which summarize the findings and/or proposal in a reader-friendly format for policymakers, university governing boards, university faculty and administrators. [Ed. Note: The reader should be aware that the above project is just one of many efforts to change the focus of higher learning from liberal arts, theoretical and applied arts to a con tinuation of the school-to-work focus. The National Center for Educational Statistics published a new handbook in its Educational Reports Series in 1993 which outlined the new “crosswalks” of course descriptions at the postsecondary or college/university level. These crosswalks reflect the transition to performance-based coursework from academic/theoretical coursework. The result is a complete refocusing of postsecondary education toward behavioral performance rather than encouraging the traditional emphasis on academic knowledge acquisition.] The Noxious Nineties : c. 1998

“A G OVERNOR WITH P RINCIPLE W OULD R EJECT S CHOOL - TO -W ORK ” BY P AUL M ULSHINE was pub lished in the December 6, 1998 issue of the Newark, New Jersey Star-Ledger. Excerpts from Mulshine’s article follow: