SAT scores drop to the lowest in decades

MoonHowler

Washington area schools got a big disappointing shock this week.  The SAT test results are in decline.

From the Washington Post:

SAT reading scores for graduating seniors this year reached the lowest point in nearly four decades, reflecting a steady decline in performance in that subject on the college admissions test, the College Board reported Wednesday.

In the Washington area, one of the nation’s leading producers of college-bound students, educators were scrambling to understand double-digit drops in test scores in Fairfax and Montgomery counties and elsewhere.

“Once you hit a certain mark, you want to maintain that,” said Frieda Lacey, deputy superintendent for Montgomery schools. “Don’t think the decline didn’t bother us. It really did.”

Nationally, the reading score for the class of 2011 was 497, down three points from the previous year and 33 points from 1972, the earliest year for which comparisons are possible. The average math score was 514, down one point from last year but up five from 1972.

The College Board attributed the lower scores to the growing diversity of test-takers, many of whom are less prepared for college-level work or are learning English as a second language.

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Flood Victims to be evicted by PWC on Friday

MoonHowler

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From insidenova.com:

An estimated 150 to 175 individuals from 35 to 40 families from the Marumsco and Holly Acres mobile home parks were left homeless when more than 10 inches hit the U.S.1 corridor in Woodbridge last Thursday. The heavy rainfall caused massive damage to the parks; 66 out of 108 units in the Holly Acres park were declared unsafe to inhabit.

Many of the displaced flood victims are staying at the Dale City Recreation Center because they have no where else to go.  This arrangement will be very short-lived because the county is shutting the shelter down at 5 p.m. on this coming Friday.

Those still staying at Dale City Recreation Center – between 35 and 40 families – have until Friday at 5 p.m. before they have to leave the Red Cross-administered facility. Many of those families came to speak to the board on Tuesday, relaying their plight.

 Prince William Countydoesn’t have Section 8 housing vouchers at this time. And Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart reiterated to the crowd gathered at Tuesday’s meeting that the county could not provide permanent housing to the victims of the storm.

Residents and community activists appealed to the county at the BOCS meeting. 

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The New 800 Pound Gorilla

MoonHowler

When Corey Stewart attended the V.O.I.C.E. (Virginians Organized  for Interfaith Community Engagement)   symposium on October 5, 2008, he refused to work with V.O.I.C.E. on  housing and county dental care and was quite up-front about it.   He did say he would help set up meetings.  He then stepped outside of the agenda of V.O.I.C.E.’s meeting and said that there was an 800 pound ‘moral’ Gorilla in the room and implored that V.O.I.C.E. help him end the scourge of abortion.

Stewart received more than a few boo’s and hisses that day for saying no to the goals  of VOICE and for trying to push his own agenda on a group who were clearly meeting over a totally different set of objectives.  There were church representatives from all over the county and Northern Virginia who were meeting over the housing crisis.  Corey’s attempt at deflection was not met with good humor. 

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