5.10.22
“Comparing Type #1 vs. Type #2 Education Standards”
By Henry W. Burke 

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How do you compare the effectiveness of Type #1 vs. Type #2 State Education Standards? You could use a national test (the ACT Test) to show the differences in academic achievement levels. The 2021 ACT Test results will serve as the “yardstick” to judge the effectiveness of each education type.

There are only two types of education – Type #1 and Type #2. They cannot be mixed, just as oil and water cannot be mixed. Type #1 is fact-based, academic, and traditional. Type #2 is subjective; and it emphasizes feelings, emotions, and opinions. (Refer to Table 1 in the IMPORTANT APPENDIX TABLES at the end of this article.)

To illustrate this concept, consider two states (Texas and Nebraska). Texas has very strong Type #1 State Standards, while Nebraska has very weak Type #2 State Standards. The Texas Standards are known as Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS for short).  Because the same “yardstick” (ACT tests) is being used for both Nebraska and Texas, the comparison is valid and quite revealing.

The ACT uses this method to determine if students are College Ready.  The ACT website explains:

The ACT reports College Readiness Benchmark Scores – A benchmark score is the minimum score needed on the ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding credit-bearing college courses, which include English Composition, Algebra, Social Science, Biology, STEM and ELA.  These scores were empirically derived based on the actual performance of students in college.

Table 2 (Appendix) shows the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks for the 2021 Test.

Before the effectiveness of the two education types can be determined, the variables must be considered.  When comparing states, it is very important to consider two very important variables – the percentage of students tested and the minority percentages.

The ACT recognizes the importance of the percentages of students tested. The ACT report states:

The best practice is to compare states where the same or similar percentages of graduates were tested (e.g., Alabama 100% and Mississippi 100%, or Arizona 35% and Florida 34%).

Table 3 (in the Appendix) lists all of the states by their Composite Score rank.  Additionally, the Percent of Graduates Tested is listed in the fourth column. Table 3 shows a strong correlation between Test Scores and the percentage of graduates taking the ACT Tests. Most of the states near the top of the rankings have very low percentages. For example, the top five states (Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, and California) have percentages in the single digits (4 % – 9 %). At the lower end of the rankings, four of the bottom six states (Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Nevada) have percentages at 98 % – 100 %.

Clearly, people must be careful when comparing states with vastly different percentages of graduates taking the ACT Tests. For example, it is foolish to compare Nebraska’s Rank of 34 with Massachusetts’ No. 1 Rank.  Nebraska tested 86 % of the high school graduates, while Massachusetts tested only 7 %!  This illustrates the classic “Apples and Oranges” comparison.

How do the 51 states compare on the most recent 2021 ACT Tests? Table 4 (in Appendix) lists the 51 states (50 states plus the District of Columbia) on the 2021 ACT Test.  In the Table, the states are ranked by their Average Composite Scores, with the highest scores listed first.

How about the other variable of minority percentages? Race and ethnicity clearly affect the test results.

Because minority groups often come from language-impoverished homes, they do not score very well on the various tests.   Accordingly, there is a strong correlation between high minority percentages and low test scores.  African Americans (Blacks) typically score lower on the national tests. In Hispanic households, English is often the second language.  Hence, many states offer English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.

Minority Percentages are not available for the 2021 ACT Tests.  Accordingly, 2017 data is provided in Table 5 (Appendix).

Nebraska has 17 % minority students (4 % + 13 % = 17 %).

Texas has 51 % minority students (10 % + 41 % = 51 %).

The National group has 30 % minority students (13 % + 17 % = 30 %).

Texas has three times the percentage of minorities as Nebraska and 1.7 times the percentage of minorities as the National picture.  Accordingly, a person would expect Texas to have much lower test scores than Nebraska.

How do Nebraska and Texas compare on the 2021 ACT Tests? Table 3 and Table 4 (Appendix) show that Nebraska and Texas have essentially identical ACT Test scores. The Average Composite Score is 20.0 for Nebraska and 20.1 for Texas. Likewise, the Test Scores for the four subjects are basically the same. Admittedly, a much smaller percentage of Texas graduates took the 2021 ACT Test than in Nebraska (23 % in Texas vs. 86 % in Nebraska). Even though the Texas percentage tested is smaller than Nebraska, the sample size is large with 146,608 Texas students being tested on the ACT.

What conclusion can be drawn from this comparison?  In spite of Texas having three times the number of minorities as Nebraska, Texas barely edged out Nebraska.

Is there a way to explain why Texas and Nebraska have almost identical ACT Test Scores?

The explanation is rather clear. Texas has very good Type #1 State Education Standards (fact-based, academic, and traditional). Whereas, Nebraska has mediocre Type #2 State Standards (subjective; emphasizes feelings, emotions, and opinions). Obviously, the superior Texas State Standards are making a real difference!

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IMPORTANT APPENDIX TABLES

Table 1 – Chart: Comparison of Two Types of Education

Table 2 – 2021 ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores

Table 3 – 2021 ACT Average Composite Scores for All States

Table 4 – 2021 ACT Percent of Graduates Meeting Benchmarks for All States

Table 5 – Minority Percentages for Nebraska, Texas, and National

Table 1 -- Chart: Comparison of Two Types of Education

TYPE #1 (FACT-BASED, ACADEMIC, TRADITIONAL) vs.

TYPE #2 (SUBJECTIVE, FEELINGS, EMOTIONS, OPINIONS)

TYPE #1 -- TYPE #2 --
DESCRIPTION(FACT-BASED, ACADEMIC, TRADITIONAL)(SUBJECTIVE, FEELINGS, EMOTIONS, OPINIONS) CSCOPE LITE (TEXAS) OBAMA’S COMMON CORE STANDARDS Progressive, Radical Social Justice Agenda
INSTRUCTIONDirect Instruction by teacherSelf-directed learning, group think

EMPHASIS ON: Subjectivity, feelings, emotions, beliefs, multiculturalism, political correctness, social engineering, globalism, evolution, sexual freedom, contraceptives, environmental extremism, global warming and radical climate change, victimization, diversity, acceptance of LGBTQ as normal, redistribution of wealth

DE-EMPHASIS ON: Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, U. S. and State Constitutions, national sovereignty, Founding Fathers, American exceptionalism
CURRICULUMAcademic, fact-based skills, researchSocial concerns, project-based, constructivism, portfolios, collaboration, subjective, use of unproven fads and theories
TEACHER’S ROLEAuthority figure in the classroom, sets the plan for the class, academic instructionFacilitator in the classroom
STUDENT’S ROLELearn from teacher; focus on factual learning; develop foundational skills for logical and analytical reasoning; independent thinkingStudents teach each other; decide what they want to do for the day; focus on feelings/emotions/opinions; group-think
ENGLISH/ LANGUAGE ARTS/READING (ELAR)Phonics; classical literature; cursive handwriting; grammar; usage; correct spelling; expository, persuasive, narrative, descriptive writing; research writing; emphasis on standard pronounsWhole language, balanced literacy, Guided Reading, no cursive writing instruction so unable to read primary documents of Founding Fathers, emphasis on non-standard LGBTQ pronouns
MATHEMATICS“Drill and Skill,” four math functions learned to automaticityFuzzy math, Common Core process standards, rejects drill and memorization of math facts, dependent on calculators, correct answer not important
SOCIAL STUDIESFocus on American heritage and exceptionalism, national sovereignty, Founding documents, appreciation for sacrifices made by America’s forefathers, equality under GodCritical Race Theory (CRT); diversity; multiculturalism; globalization; revisionist history; political correctness; portrays America as an evil country; White privilege/Black bondage; equity based upon race, ethnicity, and/or gender identity
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENTPro-faith, self-control, personal responsibility, self-discipline, sexual abstinence before marriage, solid work ethic, moving toward achieving tenacitySecular, moral relativism, sexual relations before marriage, sexual perversion, anti-faith, victimization
EQUALITYEqual opportunities through hard workExpecting equal outcomes regardless of personal effort
ASSESSMENTStudents evaluated by grades earned, emphasis on objective tests with right-or-wrong answers based upon observable and/or measurable factsInflated grades, subjective assessments, evaluated based upon subjective value system of grader, group grades
OUTCOMESObjective tests (right-or-wrong answers), emphasis on academic skills and knowledgeSubjective assessments; emphasis on holistic, “feel-good” scoring

Original chart produced by Donna Garner on 9.1.13; revised by Carole H. Haynes on 11.04.13; updated by Donna Garner and Henry W. Burke on 4.27.22

https://www.educationviews.org/2-types-of-education-america-hangs-in-the-balance/

Table 2 – 2021 ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores

College Course/Course Area ACT Score Benchmark Score
English CompositionEnglish18
AlgebraMathematics22
Social SciencesReading22
BiologyScience23
STEMSTEM26
ELAELA20

Source:
Average ACT Scores by State --  Graduating Class of 2021

https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/2021/2021-Average-ACT-Scores-by-State.pdf

Table 3 – 2021 ACT Average Composite Scores for All States

(Ranked by Average Composite Scores)

State Rank Average Composite Score Percent Graduates Tested
National--20.335
Massachusetts127.67
Connecticut227.29
New Hampshire326.64
New York426.39
California526.15
Rhode Island625.84
Delaware725.75
District of Columbia825.619
Maine925.62
Maryland1025.58
Virginia1125.59
Illinois1225.219
Michigan1325.19
New Jersey1425.112
Pennsylvania1525.07
Vermont1624.74
Washington1723.67
Colorado1823.616
Indiana1923.114
Idaho2023.016
Georgia2122.624
Minnesota2221.660
South Dakota2321.655
Iowa2421.547
West Virginia2520.830
New Mexico2620.723
Alaska2720.616
Missouri2820.663
Oregon2920.620
Utah3020.686
Florida3120.434
Montana3220.470
Texas3320.123
Nebraska3420.086
Wisconsin3520.096
Kansas3619.979
Arizona3719.835
Wyoming3819.819
Oklahoma3919.758
North Dakota4019.6100
Ohio4119.685
Kentucky4219.2100
Tennessee4319.1100
Arkansas4419.099
North Carolina4518.992
Alabama4618.7100
South Carolina4718.650
Louisiana4818.498
Hawaii4918.267
Mississippi5018.1100
Nevada5117.8100

Source:
Average ACT Scores by State --  Graduating Class of 2021

https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/2021/2021-Average-ACT-Scores-by-State.pdf

Table 4 – 2021 ACT Percent of Graduates Meeting Benchmarks for All States

(Ranked by Average Composite Scores)

Rank State Average Composite Score English Reading Math Science
--National20.356443635
1Massachusetts27.692838179
2Connecticut27.292827876
3New Hampshire26.689777571
4New York26.388777673
5California26.184747268
6Rhode Island25.889797067
7Delaware25.786766668
8District of Columbia25.676706666
9Maine25.687777269
10Maryland25.586746765
11Virginia25.586756867
12Illinois25.288726867
13Michigan25.187726865
14New Jersey25.183706762
15Pennsylvania25.084736764
16Vermont24.783776266
17Washington23.670625755
18Colorado23.678645956
19Indiana23.174625752
20Idaho23.075615351
21Georgia22.672585048
22Minnesota21.661524845
23South Dakota21.665524645
24Iowa21.564524144
25West Virginia20.868493236
26New Mexico20.758473637
27Alaska20.656474138
28Missouri20.659463536
29Oregon20.656473838
30Utah20.659463837
31Florida20.459463435
32Montana20.456443636
33Texas20.152423534
34Nebraska20.055423335
35Wisconsin20.055393736
36Kansas19.953423232
37Arizona19.852413532
38Wyoming19.853423232
39Oklahoma19.755422629
40North Dakota19.651373532
41Ohio19.650403331
42Kentucky19.251362726
43Tennessee19.152362528
44Arkansas19.051342326
45North Carolina18.943362927
46Alabama18.748322123
47South Carolina18.643352526
48Louisiana18.448312023
49Hawaii18.240312223
50Mississippi18.143281819
51Nevada17.839292020

Source:
Average ACT Scores by State --  Graduating Class of 2021

https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/2021/2021-Average-ACT-Scores-by-State.pdf

Table 5 – Minority Percentages for Nebraska, Texas, and National 

(2017 ACT)

State All Students Tested White Students Tested Black Students Tested Hispanic Students Tested
No.PercentNo.PercentNo.PercentNo.Percent
Nebraska1899310013337707524251413
Texas146608100501193415021106014241
National20300381001062439522567561334790617

Henry Burke is a Civil Engineer with a B.S.C.E. and M.S.C.E.  He has been a Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.) for 37 years and has worked as a Civil Engineer in construction for over 40 years. Mr. Burke had a successful 27-year career with a large construction company.  He has written numerous articles on education, engineering, construction, politics, taxes, and the economy.

Henry W. Burke
E-mail:  hwburke@cox.net