Gates’ speech prompts soul-searching in high schools

Education associate commissioner David M. Borja is confident about the quality of high school education in the Commonwealth but says that the Public School System should look at the “rigor” of the subjects being taught to secondary school students.

“Rigor means the critical thinking skills of students,” as this would determine if the school system is increasing or lowering the standards of education in the CNMI, said Borja.

He made the comments after hearing the scathing critique delivered by Bill Gates on the quality of high school education in the United States when the Microsoft co-founder spoke during the recent Governor’s Conference attended by education officials from 13 states.

Borja said the discussion regarding the quality of high school education in the U.S. should revolve around whether students are truly prepared for the world of work and the world of further studies.

He said, though, that everything that PSS is doing now is to build up and get the students to pass high school.

Borja also said that PSS is continually refining and reassessing its current curriculum under the leadership of associate commissioner Rita Sablan.

Borja said PSS needs to identify new instruments or means of assessing high school students. “If the subject being taught is different from the instrument that is measuring the knowledge of the students, then there has to be an alignment,” he said.

Borja also said that there should be an alignment of the instrument of assessment and the curriculum being taught. “At the same time we need to also be cognizant whatever that is we’re teaching our students is adequate to meet the assessment,” he said.

Right now, the assessment instrument Borja is talking about is the Scholastic Assessment Test 10, but he said, in general, it only measures what the students should know.

Particular subjects such as biology, chemistry and physics could be in the SAT materials, but in the classrooms, only earth science and some physical science are being taught, said Borja.

“Definitely the scenario would never meet the material that is being tested. I believe that we need to look at that alignment issue,” he said.

PSS has come up with the curriculum change, which Sablan had presented to the board during its last meeting. The board had voted for a review of the recommendations.

Borja, said it is hoped that the recommendations would address the rigor of the materials PSS is giving the students.

Borja said the reports should contain the true reflection of the knowledge of the students and not just reports containing teachers’ suggestion on what really should take place in the school system.

PSS seeks to have 80 percent of its population acquire reading levels above their grade level by 2008, and students scoring at the 50th percentile or higher on the Stanford Achievement Test or SAT10 by 2010.