News Friday 10/17/10

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/11/education/11scores.html?ref=education

“On New York School Tests, Warning Signs Ignored” by Jennifer Medina. New York Times.

I think that the headline is good because it doesn’t exactly tell the reader what the story is truly about, but it gives the reader enough facts to keep the reader interested on the content of the story. The headline works well with the overall message of the story because the story is about the flaws with the New York State exams given in the fourth and eighth grades. The ‘warnings’ the headline refers to are the flaws that were made in the construction of the exams. For example, the New York State exams are very predictable. Each year, many of the questions on the exams are basically the same and repetitive. Maybe a number or two is changed on the math exam, but the question is essentially the same. Also, each year, almost immediately after the exams are taken, the exams are publicized. Because of this, the exams are predictable, and teachers know exactly what to teach their students. The problem that arises with predictable tests is that it is hard to tell if the students are really learning, or if they are just being taught only what is on the test. The headline underscores the issue of flaws in the NY state exams. Then the article talks about the state’s decision to make the tests harder because these flaws, or ‘warning signs,’ were ignored.

The lead is a how lead because it tells the reader how the problems and flaws of the state exams caused the state exams to be made harder. In a way, I think the lead is good, but is a bit confusing since it doesn’t directly tell the reader what the story is about. I was able to understand how the lead connected to the main theme of the story only after I read the entire article. The article includes many sources related to New York education. For instance, some sources are teachers, and another source is the chief spokesman of the NY Board of Education in the 1900s and 2000. The author could have used principals of NY schools as a source because, now that the exams will be used to see which teachers and principals will get bonuses, the scores of New York students will have a more direct impact on principals.

Something that I think could be in the article is examples of which teachers/students/principals have already experienced the effects of the new decisions. Proximity and consequence are the news determinants in the article, especially for students in New York and people involved with New York education. I chose this article because this is something happening in the state that I live in (proximity). I also chose this article because it will influence students in New York taking the state exams (consequence).