On Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:32:21 -0500, Mike Marlow wrote:

Mike, 51% passing is more than 49% that aren't :-). All I was trying
to do was to get a quantifiable answer.

Understand that, but like I said - I do not have that answer. Let me
turn this back (for the sake of conversation...) - why do you ask? Do
you either have evidence, or even a suspicion that those numbers may be
closer to par, or even sub par?


My suspicion is that a more students flunked out when I went to school
than do now. But numbers are hard to come by. When I try to look up
failure rates over time I get numbers that count dropouts, boasts about
some new technique that lowers failure rates, etc.. But nothing that
says x percent flunked in this year, y in this year, etc..

One could suspect that the NEA doesn't want those numbers readily
available :-).



So - I'll ask you - can you provide the type of evidence that you have
asked of me, that would show that LCD is even alive in NY, let alone the
norm?

No, I don't. I've lived in Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Idaho, California,
and Washington. I have no knowledge of the NY school system. But if you
have the nirvana you describe, you're very lucky.

I think most people over 50 who come in contact with today's high school
graduates would declare it obvious that standards have fallen since they
went to school. But even that opinion can be challenged on the grounds
that maybe some of those graduates actually weren't.

I do remember seeing claims that a 4-year college degree today is
equivalent to a high school diploma of past times. Anyone have that data
available?


--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw