A Global Measuring Stick
I wanted to take this opportunity to express my gratitude and pride in being an educator in Massachusetts. Daily, I see teachers spending hours upon hours honing their craft, learning how to improve the education that they offer students, discussing how to close the gap in MCAS scores for a particular subgroup, and documenting everything as evidence of their work. It may not, however, be often enough that we step outside our own view and gain the perspective of our students as they compare with others globally. When we do, it is impressive.
Recently, the New York Times ran an article praising the education system in Massachusetts. Braintree public schools are featured in the article, but as the director of mathematics and technology for the Braintree schools says, "It is really about all of us in Massachusetts. I was happy to give us a voice."
I hope you savor these words of praise, and know that your hard work is being recognized.
"Conventional wisdom and popular perception hold that American students are falling further and further behind in science and math achievement. The statistics from this state tell a different story.If Massachusetts were a country, its eighth graders would rank second in the world in science, behind only Singapore, according to Timss — the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which surveys knowledge and skills of fourth and eighth graders around the world. (The most recent version, in 2011, tested more than 600,000 students in 63 nations.)Massachusetts eighth graders also did well in mathematics, coming in sixth, behind Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. The United States as a whole came in 10th in science and 9th in math, with scores that were above the international average." read more...
Best of luck!
Sue Looney, Ed.D.
President – LMC
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