Senate Republican Leader
Senator Phil Berger
26th Senatorial District
Phone Number: (919) 733-5708
North Carolina Senate
Room 1026, Legislative Building
Raleigh, NC 27601 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
September 14, 2007

Results are in and North Carolina’s SAT scores continue to decline and remain near the bottom in comparison with other states.  Ignoring their own stated goal of having everyone attend college, state public school officials and administrators have tried to soften this negative news by blaming falling scores on the number of students taking the test in North Carolina.  The SAT is one of the only nationally recognized standardized tests given to North Carolina students.  Most student tests currently administered in North Carolina are designed by North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI), are not nationally recognized, and provide no comparative measure for student achievement either from year to year or with students in other states.  The DPI created tests have been widely criticized for those and other reasons.  Parents, students, educators, and the state's taxpayers are entitled to know, without attempts by the education bureaucracy to slant the information, how our public schools are doing at providing our children with a sound basic education.  Many ask why there is this public relations effort to downplay, rather than correct, these poor results.

DPI also released new drop-out numbers; that information is no more encouraging.  Last year, when the four year calculated 2006 drop-out rate of 31.7 percent was disclosed, state school administrators said the number of drop-outs was so high because it did not account for the fact that many students graduate from high school in five years rather than four.  The recent release included the much anticipated five year graduation number which shows that the five year drop-out rate is – 29 percent – hardly something to be happy about.  For 2007, the four year drop-out rate improved slightly (by 1.1 percent to 30.6 percent). 

Further statistics were released on math and reading achievement for the state's public elementary and middle schools.  DPI figures show that one-third of students are not grade level proficient in the core subjects of math and reading.  Those numbers are even worse for North Carolina’s African American students where over 50 percent were performing below grade level in math and reading.  The percentage of N.C. schools meeting the state adopted standards and goals for the federal No Child Left Behind law fell to an abysmal 44.7 percent in 2007.  Despite this, if one were to listen to the comments from the state's politically appointed public school leaders and top officials with the education unions, you would think that things were just fine with public education in North Carolina.

Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) made the following statement:

“When did falling scores, mediocrity and miniscule gains by North Carolina's students become something to celebrate?  I, for one, cannot agree that the recently released SAT results, the all too high drop-out numbers, and the lack of proficiency for elementary and middle school students are acceptable.  The Legislature has increased annual education funding by $2.12 billion since 2002 and by $3.36 billion since 1998.  All we have to show for this huge additional investment of tax dollars is 30 percent drop-out rates, falling SAT scores, and no proficiency in the core subjects of reading and math.  And the really troubling thing is that we are seeing declines in results, rather than improvement.  It is time to admit that more money isn't solving, and will not solve, our education problems.  For years, the education bureaucrats, education unions, and Democrat politicians at budget time have said that by spending more money North Carolina will lead the nation in education achievement.  It is time to stop throwing good money in the same wrong direction.  We must undertake a major overhaul of North Carolina's public education system. 

“During the last Legislative session, Republicans offered new education strategies that concentrate education dollars on drop-out prevention.  We also proposed an emphasis on enhanced vocational, career and technical options, spending more time teaching and less time testing, and targeted efforts to improve reading in our elementary schools.  We introduced legislation to require that North Carolina adopt nationally recognized tests for measuring student achievement.  Democrats chose to ignore these ideas.  If we expect to see improvements in education results, the General Assembly must take a fresh look at education funding priorities and reject the failed policies that have led to these embarrassing numbers.  There is much to be done; we will not have any success, nor should we expect success by continuing along the same misguided path.” 

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