Letter: Use exam data to improve schools
Passage rates on state tests plunged by more than half in math and nearly as much in English, after the state Education Department moved to more rigorous national academic standards known as the Common Core. Credit: iStock
In the coverage about student exams, what I don't see is an analysis of the results, pointing to specific weaknesses that can be corrected ["The test after the test," News, Aug. 11]. All we seem to know now is many didn't pass. The statistics being published are all by district not by subject matter.
With today's ability to process and find patterns in massive data sets, it seems we should be able to design tests that not only provide an indication of overall mathematical capability but should also, through analysis of specific questions that were answered wrong, provide insight into needed corrections or strengthening of the curriculum.
For example, I hear parents complain that schools don't spend enough time on multiplication tables. Without a really good command of multiplication and factoring, algebra can become a slow, almost impossibly tedious task.
I recommend that the tests be redesigned to identify the actual deficiencies and allow schools to address them in a meaningful manner.
Val Kraut, Massapequa
Editor's note: The writer is a retired Grumman engineer who worked on the Apollo lunar program.
