Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

You use a very narrow field of data to base your opinions, Slim. The fact that you would disregard the actual fact and statistics present in a state report in favor of your own experience with your children speaks to your analytical ignorance. You are foolishly assuming that because you had a bad experience, that everyone else has similar experiences. Generalizations such as that are one of the most common logical fallacies. You would be well served to avoid them in the future, lest your reputation score take any more of a beating with all those little thumbs down people seem to be clicking next to your comments.

Way to go, Transformation Sunnyside! What a great thing to do for our community!

You: "The msp test is the dummy down version of the wasl."
Me: "If that was the case, why no remarkable jumps across every grade level in every district across the state? Prove it, don't just claim it"

I then provide a plethora of data showing no substantial jumps in math scores at those two grade levels across the state, which would have occurred if the MSP was a "dummy down" version of the WASL.

You then claim it's because Sunnyside is a smaller school district, despite being larger than 60 percent of the districts in the state.
I then provide you with data from relatively similar sized districts in our region to prove your claims untrue, because they didn't show those kind of increases.

Did you just not look at any of that data, or were the line graphs too hard to comprehend?

Also, I wouldn't use typing while driving as an excuse for your poor understanding of sentence structure. It only proves that you're not only a threat to the English language, but also a threat to innocent drivers and pedestrians.

So, let me get this right. You want to criticize these kids for their academics, yet you're critical of me calling you our for your apparent inability to construct a sentence that is grammatically correct or use data to back up your arguments? Wow! Don't really know what to say here. Your myopic view of reality is simply laughable.

I'm not a retired English teacher, nor am I a teacher of any sort. I'm in my early 30's and did not even major or minor in English. This is all simple sentence composition that you should have been taught in middle school (I'm assuming you're not in middle school, which increasingly looks to be a shaky assumption on my part). You'll have to pardon me for wanting an adult to write like one, I'd hate to have kids come by your vitriolic blather and think that it is the correct way to write. Consider it a public service to our youth.

By the way, I'm the product of a Lower Valley school district. It looks as if mine did a much better job teaching me to write correctly and use data to back up my arguments than yours did for you.

I'm not exactly sure which is sadder, the fact that you are unable to produce data to back a single claim up or that I've spent 30 minutes of my day responding to your nonsensical ramblings. Fear not, I will refrain from doing so any longer until you produce one piece of legitimate evidence to back up your claims. I've wasted way more time than your feeble arguments are worth.

How does the size of a district allow them to teach to the test any easier than a large district? Larger districts generally have more resources at their disposal to develop curricula, such as a curriculum that teaches to a certain test. Your point is as unproven as your claim that there is no way to prove the earth is round.

Again, I hate to use facts and data on you, as you obviously are not fans of either, but I'll go ahead anyway. Below are data trends from other small school districts. Some of them are smaller than Sunnyside, which by your logic, would mean their test scores should should show even more impressive leaps.
Prosser 7th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Prosser 6th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Granger 7th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Granger 6th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Grandview 7th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Grandview 6th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Yakima 7th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Yakima 6th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Walla Walla 7th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Walla Walla 6th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Richland 7th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Richland 6th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Kennewick 7th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Kennewick 6th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Pasco 7th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
Pasco 6th: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/waslTrend.aspx?g...
I could keep going....
By the way, Sunnyside School District is larger than 60 percent of the district in the state.
How do you like them facts, Jack?

So, you get your original claims totally dismantled and you now want to argue something different? The article, nor my reply to you, was about anything but the rise in math test scores in those two grades, at those two schools.

Instead or celebrating that and wishing them success in other areas where they struggle, you would rather trash them? Research has shown that negative self-image or a lack of belief that you can succeed has an incredibly detrimental effect on a student's drive to succeed and learn. Maybe, just maybe, it's people who keep telling these kids and their teachers that they "suck" that supports that kind of negative mindset.

Bravo, good sir! You sure stuck it to those middle school students and teachers. The same middle school students and teachers who are doing all they possibly can to succeed, despite the internal and external barriers present in their community! All while people like you tell them they suck. Keep up the good work!

By the way, I'm not even going to touch on your apparent inability to construct a sentence that bares any resemblance of being grammatically correct. The irony present in the fact that you are putting them down for their academics made my day.

Here are some ways to prove the Earth is round: http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae53...

Also, here are some data trends from OSPI for 6th and 7th grade math trends across the state. As you can clearly see, there were no extraordinary jumps across the state.

6th grade: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/wasltrend.aspx?g...

7th grade: http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/wasltrend.aspx?g...

Do you two have any data to prove that? If that was the case, why no remarkable jumps across every grade level in every district across the state? Prove it, don't just claim it.

Hats off to anyone willing to serve their community in such capacities!