Southern University is Last in NTE Passing Rates


L

LaMont

New Member
The Department of Education has posted the pass/fail ratio of every school and the number of students that take the NTE.

Southern University has a pass ratio of less than 50%. (Click on the link to look at the data and search the site to find your
school).

http://www.title2.org/cgi-bin/broker.exe

What is going on at the SU Dept. of Education program? Also, is the NTE a biased exam? Are the standards for passing the NTE too hard, too light or about right?

LaMont

(NO SMACKING! I want a serious discussion about this issue, because this data always makes PWCs doubt the educational quality at HBCUs)
 

WTF?!!! Who is this LaMont? This post should be moved to the RoundTable discussion anyway.
 
I don't know what the problem is but it needs to be corrected immediately. I recall during the initial years, GSU's passing rate was deplorable as well. We made some changes/upgrades in a faculty and overall Department to bring in people from institutions that had good success rates. Once we became aware of the fact that some of our neighboring schools were "teaching the test", we implemented tutorials and mentoring sessions to assist our students. My wife (an SU grad) and my niece (A GRAMBLINITE) enrolled in these session during my wife's second year in college
(she went to GSU one summer to take some classes not offered at SU that particular summer). Well when she returned to BR, she took the first two parts of the exam and passed them. She then proceeded to pass the remainder of the exam just prior to graduating from SU.

I think that SU does a good job of teacher training. I know that my wife had a helluva lot of course work to do. She and the two ladies that she had classes with/did student teaching with all passed the exam in '93. During Student teaching and also in graduate courses, she has met students from Southeastern Louisiana and LSU that told her that the classwork at SU was much more intense and coursework heavy at SU.

Maybe, SU needs to refocus it's efforts toward prepping the student for the NTE instead of overwhelming them with so much project work and class room techniques. Don't get me wrong, I think that these things are crucial to being an effective teacher. But unless we get them certified, we are defeating the purpose!
 
Hey MikeBigg!!!

You know this really should be on the Round Table Discussion Board, but I do believe that the emphasis is as you stated, not on the test itself, but on the job and what you should be doing to get the best out of your students.

Kudo's to all education majors, but learning how to pass that test should also be an objective. If I am not mistaken, wasn't passing the NTE a requirement for graduation?
 
I think passing it is a requirement. So you're talking about livelihoods here. I know there are some very bright students in SU's education department. But by the same token, there are some people taking the test prematurely. I would strongly recommend that prior to taking the test, the students participate in a NTE Prep study course. How many students attempt to pass the CPA exam, or Bar exam with out taking some type of extensive prep course or program?

I hate that it gives the impression that SU turns out inferior teachers. I know that's not the case...But these scores tend to offer support to the misconception that HBCU's are not properly educating our students. We know better...I hope Dr. Tarver and the Education Department take corrective steps to improve these scores. We need all the African American teachers we can get to busy in our public education setting.

This is a matter that is very important to me. I plan on teaching once I retire from Exxon in the next 10 years. I am an Accounting grad from GSU (1977) and about 8 years ago, I passed 3 parts of the exam (I only took 3). I have to decide on an area that I want to teach, and just hadn't taken time to go back yet. Although I'm real smart :D , I think the fact that I have taken a lot of standardized test in my life helped me as well. Plus, the maturity factor and having a lot of life experiences helped me also. I've learned various strategies for taking these type test.

In other words, being prepared (the right way) is the key. I know we are gonna turn this around.
 
This problem was addressed some months ago. Since then, the latest numbers for summer graduates have increased to 71%.

http://www.theadvocate.com/opinion/story.asp?storyid=3517

Passing the test is now a requirement to receive your diploma. This requirement was never there in the past and a lot of students did not work hard enough to pass the test before graduation. It did not hurt them because they could easily pass the test after graduation but SU was left holding the bag with poor numbers.
 
Originally posted by Jag Voice
This problem was addressed some months ago. Since then, the latest numbers for summer graduates have increased to 71%.

http://www.theadvocate.com/opinion/story.asp?storyid=3517

Passing the test is now a requirement to receive your diploma. This requirement was never there in the past and a lot of students did not work hard enough to pass the test before graduation. It did not hurt them because they could easily pass the test after graduation but SU was left holding the bag with poor numbers.
Click to expand...


Good update JV!!!!
 
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