Kentucky Republicans passed education legislation in 2009 that made it easier to compare the state’s students to other states. Now they’re very upset that the results came back Stupid.
[…]
“I think we are very committed to being able to take Kentucky students and put them on a report card beside students across the nation,” said Republican Sen. David Givens. “We’re simply saying to the ACT people we don’t want what is a theory to be taught as a fact in such a way it may damage students’ ability to do critical thinking.”

So, learning to think critically about religion is bad while not doing so with science is good? Huh.



  1. Mr Fix- says:

    Simply fix. Just add a Bible Study section to the test and weight it the same as the biology / science portion.

    • Dean says:

      and while we’re at it lets add astrology, energy healing and divination.

    • observer says:

      Adding a Bible Study section would just prove that they don’t really know that much about the Bible either.

    • dusanmal says:

      So close but so far from the real solution. It is to have Science study AND separate Religion study (not a single religion, teaching fundamentals about most prominent few religions would be satisfactory curriculum). In Public Schools. Because vast majority of people served by Public Schools and in the nation are religious by their own opinion. Denying that education causes all this hoopla. What is denied – social forces push against (pretty much equivalent of Newton’s Law). Than and only than you can ask only questions from the explicitly Science angle in Science tests and only Religious questions in Religious testing. Than and only than people will not feel denied and will not push for intermingling two vastly separate tracks along the seam where they virtually touch. Only than for example can student see that Science approaches issues as creation from completely different viewpoint and with different meaning vs. Religious approach, method and meaning of similarly named objective. Only than pupils can understand both sides fully and know how to distinguish seemingly same questions when asked from two different disciplines. This would help not only on Science/Religion issue but in their lives in general.

      • Lymphnode says:

        “than” ???

        • What? says:

          Exactly.

          Learning, it’s worthwhile.

          • mayor bloomburger says:

            wow dunsumal, what you’re saying would make a lot of sense if their wasn’t separation of Church and State in this country, the precedent against what you’re saying hadn’t been established over and over in the Supreme Court, and there were not tens of thousands of churches and libraries all over the US where children can learn about religion during their free-time for free. On the other hand, maybe the US should be run like a theocracy …. like the Vatican City, or Iran.

  2. bobbo, the pragmatic existential evangelical anti-theist says:

    From the link, what does this mean?: “Rather predictably, the Kentucky GOP is madder than a plumber in a Chipotle.”

    The link in the link is a more interesting read emphasizing more of the religious angle: http://kansascity.com/2012/08/15/3763138/kentuckys-gop-lawmakers-question.html

    The school is confusing/conflating a number of issues: The ACT score is about a students ability to succeed in academics at the college level. How saved the students are or how happy they will be in Church on Sunday or persecuting homosexuals or women who want to abort babies requires a different kind of test.

    School should have known that from the get go.

    Silly Hoomans.

    • Uncle Dave says:

      The Chipotle plumber would presumably have a lot of clogged toilets after the food rushed through the patrons. Definitely stretching the Mexican food meme.

  3. msbpodcast says:

    Poor fucking repubes.

    It doesn’t matter how dumb they think we are, when we refuse to actually swallow their effluvia, (like those students did,) they’re in trouble.

  4. msbpodcast says:

    I love the quote from the article: Yes! Let’s teach students about how Chuck E. Cheese made the Earth out of popsicle sticks three years ago. We don’t want to damage them.

    LMFAO

  5. MadDogJack says:

    All these problems with Iran’s nuclear bomb potential are all for nothing! E=MC2 is all imaginary…Einstein MADE IT UP! Newton made up the theory of gravity. The idea that the Earth revolves around the sun was MADE UP! The idea that bacteria can become immune to antibiotics because of natural selection of characteristics sound like evolution so it MUST be wrong!
    Idiots.

  6. NewformatSux says:

    What a stupid article. Kentucky is full of bureaucrats who spend all day writing tests. 20 years ago they fell into the outcome-based education trap, and passed all sorts of school reforms. Every student gets tested every year with special statewide tests. Why do they need to pay the ACT for more tests?

    • What? says:

      Because it can’t be manipulated by those Kentucky bureaucrats? Because nationally recognized colleges and universities don’t trust states to accurately measure students’ academic achievements?

      • mayor bloomburger says:

        Which is why the have the SAT and AP tests, because grades don’t mean diddly-squat to colleges if you can’t get over a 3 on an AP or break 1000 on the SATs

      • NewformatSux says:

        That’s what the regular ACT and SAT as well as AP exams are for. Kentucky tests students every year, and insists that schools show improvement or they will be taken over by the state. They even make students do a writing portfolio across all subjects. They don’t need the ACT to write tests for them.

  7. orchidcup says:

    Critical thinking is okay as long as it is not applied to the Bible.

    I get it.

  8. smartalix says:

    Frankly, these people are going to force their children to reap the bitter, stunted harvest that results from crap education. Kentucky will remain a laughable backwater for the forseeable future, sadly. The only jobs (if they’re lucky) available that they are qualified for will be non-union minimum-wage assembly or service jobs.

  9. Dallas says:

    the first two words “Kentucky Republicans” caused me to have an automatic eye roll. I’m sure I’m not alone

    • NewformatSux says:

      It’s true. All the big names in history are not Kentucky Republicans. Lincoln left for Illinois. Zachary Taylor was a Whig, as was Henry Clay. Alban Barkley was a Democrat. Carl Perkins was a Democrat who carved out exceptions for his district from teh Civil Rights Act. However Cassius Clay was one of the founders of the Republican Party, and his namesake Mohammed Ali later supported Ronald Reagan’s reelection.

      • Dallas says:

        Not sure where you were going with that but I see you agree. It does indeed seem those two words together implies something wierdis about to be said.

  10. NobodySpecial says:

    Of course it’s only number THEORY that the test scores should add upto 100%. Perhaps with enough faith in Kentucky percent should mean out of 30 – then they have done rather well.

  11. There is an old expression among law enforcement officials when dealing with teachers & left wing University Professor types – that the more education the stupider you ( they ) get
    There aught to be a law so to speak

    • NobodySpecial says:

      This post was typed on a computer with a CPU hand carved from silicon by the poster and an operating system that his grandma got out of the almanac.

  12. I Wonder says:

    Ah, the search for truth!

    Tough assignment since, like a fruit fly who lives only 24 hours, we, in a thousand lifetimes, have accumulated only an infinitesimal amount of knowledge.

    Is this knowledge “truth”?

  13. NewformatSux says:

    The science tests the Kentucky bureaucrats came up with were horrible. Lots of liberal talking points strewn into them. There’s a rubber taste in the water, and a tire factory nearby.
    Discuss the change in woman’s fashion and the change in their roles in society. How do we save the fish dying from manmade pollution in the Pacific Ocean?

    • Dallas says:

      You can’t help them back peddle now so it’s best for you to avoid this topic and go for easier pickings.
      It’s time Dvorak throw a bone in here. The Michele Obama vacation plan can and should be warmed over and served.

      Oh and how do we save the fish dying from manmade pollution in the Pacific Ocean? Well, the BEST WE CAN ! Silly you!

  14. Sheila says:

    Reminds me of a Lewis Black monologue,
    the one where he talks about Arkansas school
    system…… too funny

    survivingsurvivalism.com

  15. ECA says:

    THE PROBLEM..

    has the Theory been PROVEN??
    if YES..
    REMOVE THE WORD THEORY..

    • So what says:

      Science doesn’t work that way and the caps lock key is that little key on the left middle of your keyboard.

  16. John says:

    Too many worthless college degree’s too. Not enough technical degree’s being handed out to American’s. All we want to do is sit at a desk and draw a salary. Business degree’s are a joke. Dime a dozen. Hey American’s, when you go to college and spend all the money that you will owe for decades. At least get a degree that will give you a paycheck that allows you to pay those loans back.
    Education in this Country sucks and its not a teacher problem. My wife is a 4th grade teacher, has 28 kids three of which are special needs. Yet we expect them all to become bright productive adults later in life. Good luck with that!

    • NobodySpecial says:

      We don’t use the word special anymore – they are “people from Kentucky”

  17. bobbo, atheists in charge could not make the church look any worse says:

    Alfie – urine idiot.

    Eye see this constantly from you: the idiocy of the religious mindset: there is only one answer.

    “Oil” most likely has many sources of origination, not just one. For grin hypo #1, lts say its 3% compression of H, C, O deep within the earth, .o1% squashed dinosaurs, 95% single celled aquatic life, and 2% bog material.

    Does this add up? You do the math and tell us why you want to focus on one process rather than understand them all in context?

    Everyone knows, eyes are to find the beer.

  18. So what says:

    By the way, what is the purpose of the human eye?

  19. bobbo, atheists in charge could not make the church look any worse says:

    What is the purpose of the human eye?

    Zen Koan: the identification of opposites?

    Well, I’ve bookmarked this thread to check back in 2-3 weeks to see how many more bible passages Alfie can throw against the wall, but I’ll play:

    A. Obviously, to see.
    B. There is no purpose, only a function.

    Both fit depending on the underlying philosophical base.

    I also am enthralled by water resource issues.

    Small world ain’t it? In only a Koan sort of way.

    • So what says:

      Bobbo you are half right. I won’t tell you which half, as I want to see if alfie is as well read as he claims to be.

  20. So what says:

    Well, its been two weeks and a day. So alfie did you do your homework? Did you ascertain the purpose of the human eye?

    I will check back in a day or two when I have time. Right now I need take a shower. Took a bit of time to cut up a hundred pounds or so of catfish and wash down the boat.

  21. bobbo, we think with words, and flower with ideas says:

    I’ll bet Alfie didn’t bookmare/favorites this thread. I’m cleaning up mine, so this is my last visit.


0

Bad Behavior has blocked 5000 access attempts in the last 7 days.