Clark County, NEVADA

March 30, 2008 - Readers in Clark County, Nevada respond to a news story that math scores in Clark County are the lowest ever. The letters to the editor to the Las Vegas Review Journal are thoughtful and practical and to the point. Sample, but, by all means, read them all.

So schools consultant Bill Hanlon has discovered that teachers aren't teaching advanced math skills because they're too busy teaching basic math skills? Doesn't this mean that students shouldn't be passed on to advanced classes until they have achieved grade-level in basic classes? Whatever happened to the concept of retaining students who weren't ready for advancement?

And,

After reading your Thursday article about the math test failures, I don't know which is worse: the actual scores or that the administration seemed so surprised. How could it be that no one knew the level of education was so poor? What are the school principals and administration doing all day?

If the Clark County School District were a business, it would be bankrupt for not delivering on its promises.

TT - Preliminary math test FAILURE RATE link

March 28 Las Vegas Review Journal article on the shock

End-of-semester math exams developed to measure whether students were mastering concepts required by district standards were given for the first time in January. The preliminary results, published Wednesday in the Review-Journal, shocked everyone, including Superintendent Walt Rulffes.

Rulffes said the district voluntarily developed and administered the test, knowing the results might not be positive. But the results, even though they're disappointing, are a necessary step in improving math performance, reducing the level of student remediation required in college and meeting higher federal standards.

A major finding: Teachers are departing from required curriculum to review basic math skills, which means they aren't covering all the areas students need in the first semester. It's a deficit that's compounded from year to year.

Clark County school district encompasses Las Vegas and surrounds and is the fastest-growing district in the country. It is the fifth largest in the country. See Clark County School District entry at Wikipedia.