How government is failing US education

[doubtingt]

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In other countries, are students with serious learning disabilities mainstreamed and given the same standardized tests as is the case in the U.S.? I honestly do not know the answer.

This article states that such students take the TIMMS and PISA if they are in a normal classroom, but the test has screening questions and the scores of students with learning disabilities are not included. That means the biggest difference between countries would be the % of struggling students that are labeled with a learning disorder. I would guess this % is higher in the USA than just about anywhere. That would inflate the US scores, suggesting we're doing worse than the current comparisons suggest.

 

[doubtingt]

Yeah. Many of the systems we are being compared to have vocational/college dual-track systems. Of course our single-track students fare poorly compared to the college-track students of a dual-track system--that proves nothing.

Not true. The tests assess students in both tracks and the comparisons are made to the national average of both tracks. Also, TIMMS is given before students in most countries get tracked, which typically starts 9th grade or later. China is the notable exception and there scores shouldn't count because their scores are based upon only a couple major cities and not representative schools. Also, many rural students discontinue schooling by the time PISA is given at age 15.