| In yet another study, West Virginia's 12th graders are 'below basic' on a national achievement test.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress Test shows West Virginia students dead last in 11 focused states.
The state school system, according to state superintendent Steve Paine, was at a disadvantage when the testing was done, because the state education department rolled out new, more rigorous content, standards meant to put students' academic achievement on par with peers around the nation.
Almost half of West Virginia's students showed "below basic" achievement on the test.
The National Center for Education Statistics test monitored 1,670 schools nationwide and about 50,000 high school seniors.
Paine, who is now retiring, has led an educational initiative to globalize the teaching of West Virginia students to compete in a globalized economy.
WHAT THE REPORT SAYS
West Virginia seniors' average NAEP score was 141, compared to the national average score of 152.
State students' average score on the test's reading portion was 279, while the national average was 287.
West Virginia students scored an average 141 on the NAEP math test. The national average score was 152.
Almost half of West Virginia's students showed "below basic" achievement on the test, and 39 percent showed "basic" achievement.
And only 12 percent of West Virginia students ranked "proficient" on the test. Just 1 percent made "advanced," the highest ranking.
Nationally, 37 percent of students were "below basic."
In a press release, superintendent Paine said he hoped the scores "provide a call to action for what we need to do to improve achievement at this critical grade."
GLOBALIZING WV'S EDUCATIONAL GOALS
During an open house of the new Lincoln County High School
in 2006, large flat-screen TVs in the commons area re-played
a WV Department of Education video, educating parents and
students that they are now "Citizens of a Global World."
A graphic sweeps down from a world view to a map of West Virginia, indicating students must embrace global concepts of competition in a world now dominated by lightning-fast technology.
They must become 21st century learners.
Superintendent Paine embraced the concepts of Thomas Friedman's book "The World is Flat," which advocates preparing students for competition in a globalized economy.
Friedman argues that production is dominated by complex supply chains, with China and India being the big winners. WV students are already on a track of choosing a career by the time they are freshman, to be either blue-collar workers or college graduates.
Paine, after returning from a China trip was a believer in globalization, saying virtually all Chinese students are learning English, but only 24,000 USA students are studying Chinese. He thinks we need to change that, starting in West Virginia.
Linda Martin, then coordinator of Challenge WV, a community-based school advocacy group said, "Whatever happened to giving children a broad-based education toward becoming critical thinkers? Time to learn, grow and decide?"
"This sounds like corporate education," she said.
Admitting global catch-phrases have a good ring, Martin said "I would argue that a global citizen is a citizen of nowhere," advocating for teaching basics in small community schools.
"Merging, centralizing, consolidating and globalizing are economic movements that destroy our communities, our schools and our institutions that we value as Americans," Martin said. "We're now told we'd better get with the program or be left behind."
"Not only gone, is placed-based education, but more control is being surrendered to the government and its bureaucrats," she said, mentioning No Child Left Behind.
"Things are not like they sound," Martin said. "Like 'choice' has wide appeal, but the implementation destroys local school systems and community schools."
| 
