Top Students’ Performance ‘Unremarkable,’ Study Says

A recent study conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) has revealed that while college students in the country are performing well, there is a lack of high-achieving students in elementary and secondary schools. The study describes the level of performance of these students as “unremarkable.” Paul E. Barton, the director of ETS’s policy-information center and the presenter of the report, expressed that while the higher-education system is highly regarded worldwide and attracts a significant number of international students, the K-12 system is struggling to produce students at the highest level of achievement. Furthermore, Barton noted that even when there is talent in the pipeline, it tends to divert towards higher education.

The report analyzed various data sets concerning student performance from elementary school to graduate school. It found that only one in six 4th graders are classified as top achievers in reading, while one in five meet the top level of achievement in mathematics.

Barton continued by discussing the allocation of resources stating, “The off-the-top allocation is simply a response to the dilemma created after the Supreme Court’s decision in Felton.” Sister Mary Ann Eckhoff, the superintendent for education of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis, expressed her satisfaction with the decision. She argued that if the additional costs incurred due to Felton were not deducted from the top of the state’s Chapter 1 allocation, there would be no funding left for the program in their schools.

Regarding the use of mobile classrooms on church property, the lower court decided that these vans could be parked on public property, as long as they were adjacent to the religious school. However, the vans were not permitted to be parked on church property because they would be seen as an extension of the church’s mission. In contrast, a majority of the appeals panel stated that Felton’s concern centered around public-school teachers entering a heavily religious environment to provide Chapter 1 services. Since the vans in the Missouri case were operated by a private company under a “state bypass” arrangement, with full control and neutral atmosphere, they did not operate as extensions of public schools.

Judge C. Arlen Beam disagreed with the majority’s decision, arguing that any classroom where church-school students are taught with public funds should be at a “neutral site.” This would exclude vans on church school premises or near the curb.

There are several ongoing lawsuits related to the Chapter 1 program. Americans United supports plaintiffs in some of these cases, including one in Kentucky that has been appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Another federal judge in San Francisco recently upheld the off-the-top rule in a case backed by Americans United. Additionally, a ruling is expected soon from a federal judge in Chicago regarding a lawsuit filed by the school district challenging the rule.