NINETY-FIVE percent of the Public School System’s 11th grade students failed to meet the standard in the use of critical thinking in reading.
This was among the most important findings of the assessment involving 4th, 8th and 11th graders enrolled in public schools.
Rita Sablan, deputy education commissioner in-charge of curriculum, reported yesterday to the Board of Education that based on their study, 95 percent of 11th graders scored below the standard.
Sablan said this test measures the students’ ability to identify elements in a story such as the plot and its underlying meaning.
BOE Chairman Herman T. Guerrero said this could pose a problem for the students.
“It is a concern if they are not developing critical thinking. What will PSS do to improve on this area?” Guerrero asked the board members.
Board member Marja Lee Taitano said findings may be “subjective” since the cultural background of a student plays an important role in analyzing a story.
“It hinges on cultural background. Carolinians actually score high on this,” Taitano said.
Education Commissioner Rita H. Inos said although the findings are “somewhat alarming,” it also present a clear picture of what educators can still do to help students improve.
“This is really the first time that we are able to focus on this area. We have the reading baseline for the first time,” Inos said.
Inos said the Reading Test Summary Report that Sablan presented will be disseminated to all schools from August until Sept. 15. She said this would give educators a clear picture of the situation and ideas on what areas to focus on.
“It’s going to be a journey of real stress and frustration. (Our goal) is to have more students at or above our target,” Inos said.
