Baltimore schools report high Bridge project pass rate
Of the 1,333 Bridge projects submitted by city seniors in February as alternatives to the HSAs, the school system reports that 1,180 -- or 89 percent -- were accepted as passing. A total of 3,014 projects have been submitted for grading this school year, with a pass rate of 81 percent. Here's a breakdown by subject and subgroup:
Government: 362 accepted, 172 rejected, 68 percent pass rate
Biology: 483 accepted, 75 rejected, 87 percent pass rate
Algebra: 1,032 accepted, 74 rejected, 93 percent pass rate
English: 632 accepted, 184 rejected, 77 percent pass rate
Special education students have submitted 1,022 projects; 836 were accepted and 186 were rejected, resulting in an 82 percent pass rate.
English language learners have submitted 58 projects, of which 49 were accepted and nine rejected, an 84 percent pass rate.
Baltimoresun.com's 
Comments
The pass rates for the Bridge Projects do not correlate to the pass rates for the actual HSAs. For instance, 93% passed the Algebra Bridge Project but 71% passed the Algebra HSA last year whereas 68% passed the Government Bridge Project but 82% passed the Government HSA. I want to know why these numbers are so lopsided. I have been told by a few of the Bridge Project graders for one subject that told me they are urged to pass students who are a few points shy of passing. I don't know if this is the case for all subjects.
Posted by: Ernie | March 2, 2009 5:00 PM
Everyone should read "Teacher Man". Frank McCourt was a teacher in NYC in the 1960's. He tells stories of teachers doing exactly that when grading the NYC regents exam.
For those who don't know basically the same thing as the HSA.
McCourt tells the story of teachers gathering to grade the essays and looking at the borderline kids and going: "Well his attendance is very good", or "Her father died in the war and she is trying, so.." and extra points are tortured out of the essay.
So the fact that borderline kids may have been shifted one or two points to get them over the hump does not surprise me.
It should not surprise, or offend, anyone.
No one should be surprised that the pass rate is higher. Taking a test is taking a test, but creating a project that one works on for weeks, with some guidance and presumably a rubric of expectations - well the thing is DESIGNED to get to pass.
Posted by: James from Hampden | March 2, 2009 6:23 PM
Ernie:
That could be for a number of reasons.
Maybe the math department is just more organized centrally and/or provides better professional development to the math Bridge teachers.
Alternatively, the kids could be applying themselves more to the math since they know that it was a more challenging HSA.
Yet a third potential reason is that Government as a social studies subject is more open to interpretation of the individual grader than math is.
I have no idea if any of these are the reasons or not, but they certainly could be.
Also, I find it disturbing that teachers who are getting get paid to grade Bridge projects are passing children who shouldn't be passed.
There has to be some individual responsibility on the part of the teacher.
Posted by: hamiltonparent | March 2, 2009 6:49 PM