Try Again Jeb!
I have to post this response to the Jeb Bush “opinion piece” in the Washington Times. It is so misleading and dishonest that someone has to deal with it. Jeb must not be allowed to mislead anymore. What he is doing is immoral. He continues to mislead about the Florida Miracle he is trying to perpetuate. The Texas Miracle has long since been debunked and now it is time to deal with Florida.
First I will deal with his achievement and gains claims. Next I will deal with the school grade scam he ran as a front for testing companies – still going on today.
Here are a few cherry-picked claims Jeb made about Florida…
1. Largest achievement gains for students with disabilities
2. 3rd largest gains for low income students
3. 4th largest gains for black students
4. Big closing of achievement gap between black and whites in elementary schools
Let’s go one at a time. Here we go!
JEB CLAIM: Largest achievement gains for students with disabilities (Jebism)
* I looked at NAEP Scale Scores for students with disabilities. It is important NOT to include 504 students. In Florida a student with a broken finger qualifies for a 504 plan and voucher money to go to a private school. I kid you not. It just happened.
8th Grade Math: (2009-2011) National Public School scale Scores are up +1 Florida scale Scores are 0 – unchanged
8th Grade Reading: (2009-2011) National Public School scale scores are up +2 Florida scale scores are down -3
4th Grade Reading: (2009-2011) National Public School scale scores are down -2 Florida scale scores are down -4
**OK. Jeb is off to a bad start. Let us move on to his low income claims.
JEB CLAIM: 3rd largest gains for low income students (Jebism)
4th Grade Reading:
* Gap between low income and other students at the National Public School level is the same as it was in 2005. The gap in Florida is up from 21 to 23.
*Scale Score in Florida dropped last year. Since 2005 the Florida scale score is up 7 while the Public School scale score is up 4.
8th Grade Reading:
*The gap between low income and other students in Florida is the same as it was in 2007! The National Public School gap is the same too.
8th Grade Math:
* The gap between low income and other students in Florida is up +2 since 2007.
**Ok. Jeb is 0-2 but hope springs eternal! On to his next jingoistic claim.
JEB CLAIM: 4th largest gains for black students (Jebism)
8th Grade Math:
* The gap between black and white students in Florida is -1 since 2007. The National Public School gap is unchanged. The scale score for Florida’s black students is up but trails the National Public School average by a whopping 6.
4th Grade Reading:
*The scale score gap between black and white students in Florida is up +1 since 2005. The National Public School gap is down -4.
8th Grade Reading:
*The scale score gap between black and white students in Florida is the same now as it was in 2009.
**Ok. One more chance for Jeb. Batter up!
JEB CLAIM: Big closing of achievement gap between black and whites in elementary schools
*TOTAL GAP CHANGE in 4th grade scale scores (MATH and READING) +2 Yes, the scale score gap has grown.
I will deal with the bogus school grades in Florida soon. If anyone sees a mistake let me know. I am working with an IPAD and watching football.
Jeb Bush has no credibility and I demand the media call him out. I will debate him anywhere and anytime. This hucksterism must end.
ONE MORE THING: The Schott Report (2012) has black male graduation rates in Florida below those in Mississippi and Georgia.
Books are Enough 
Pingback: Fact-Checking Jeb Bush and the Florida Miracle « Diane Ravitch's blog
Thank you for this. As a teacher in a school which serves children of poverty, I have watched the joy of learning be systematically drained from our children. Even today, I will be proctoring the 5th straight day of a standardized bubble test–in a KINDERGARTEN classroom, in the 4th week of school. Courtesy of Jeb.
Of all the Bush brothers it is hard to know which one is the most criminal or the dumbest! Take the brother that got caught in the S&L scandal,Neil, who now sells COWS (Computers on Wheels) to schools with the aide of his mom’s charity which has funded several purchases for schools. Ot George,Junior, who as Gov. of TX and President of the US brought us both the Texas Miracle and the Reading First failure total taxpayer funded fraud billions of dollars! Or young Jeb, who as Gov. of FL brought us 3rd grade flunking and widespread testing both wasting taxpayer dollars and destroying the few good things FL educators were doing. And each on of them falls asleep every night thinking of all the “good” they done for the people of the world. Aaaarrrggghhh!!!
Reblogged this on booksareenough and commented:
Debunking Mary Bragg from Jeb Bush Foundation