Shanghai Test Scores

Cecily Groves and Cody Lucchesi

Part One: The Issue Analyzed in Two Media Outlets

Shanghai Test Scores in The New York Times

For quite some time, it has been known that the United States is severely lacking in comparison to other countries when it comes to standardized tests (used to predict education levels in various subjects.) Still, there is more and more information being presented about this issue today; Just the other week it was a top story on Kare 11. Overall, it’s baffling to try and comprehend the reasoning behind the United States’ inadequacy to perform on standardized tests given the abundance of resources in the country capable of promoting educational excellence.

The first chosen media outlet to analyze the construction of this news story is The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/education/07education.html?pagewanted=all. In the article “Top Test Scores From Shanghai Stun Educators,” countless statistics are given comparing scores on the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) test that measures 15 year olds from 65 different countries in math, reading, and science. “Experts noted the obvious difficulty of using a standardized test to compare countries and cities of vastly different sizes. Even so, they said the stellar academic performance of students in Shanghai was noteworthy, and another sign of China’s rapid modernization. The results also appeared to reflect the culture of education there, including greater emphasis on teacher training and more time spent on studying rather than extracurricular activities like sports.” The story continues by explaining how China is extremely goal oriented and that children are taught from an early age how to beat tests. In response, President Obama states that changes need to be made before the United States falls even farther behind the rest of the world in education.

When it comes to the structure of this particular form of media, there’s visuals incorporated within the 1,178 word text in the form of links (important names and organizations) that allow the reader to deviate from the page and acquire some background information to better comprehend the article. There are also other related stories on the left hand side of the page such as “What Is a College Degree Worth in China?” and a chart entitled “An International Education Test” that showcases the scores of different countries on the PISA test: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2010/12/07/education/07education_graph.html?ref=education. Overall, the format is very scientific, number oriented, and exact. This sort of formal organization is a great reflection of the precise and direct focus that Chinese individuals place on education. There are no hints of question or humor found within the article, just the facts.

Shanghai Test Scores in Bloomberg

While test score for Shanghai are booming in every category of education, according to the “Program for International Student Assessment”, scores for U.S. teens seem to plummet. Recently in the 2009 issue of PISA U.S. students ranked 25th among 34 countries tested in various academic categories. This has been a product of concern recently for the U.S. as test scores seem to drop lower according to a comprehensive standardized test given to various countries.

One source of information reporting on this subject is Bloomberg: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-07/teens-in-u-s-rank-25th-on-math-test-trail-in-science-reading.html. In the article “U.S. Teens Lag as China Soars on International Test,” a main focus emphasized was how these test scores are going to affect the economy of America. While places such as Shanghai are on the rise economically, the U.S. seems to be lacking and these tests are apparent indications leading to a down-turning economy. The article also states how Shanghai raised teacher pay and standards, as well as has a greater than eighty percent average of college aged students being admitted to a higher education institution. The average from Shanghai crushes the national average of only twenty-four percent. While the average for the U.S. in this department is not stated in the article, it can be insinuated that it is lower than that of Shanghai. This then calls into question how much the U.S. is focusing on the education of our children. While vigorous study tactics and practices are taught in Shanghai, it shows from these exams that it must be working. Whatever the practice is in the U.S., it is lackluster to twenty-four other countries.

The overall demeanor of this article is that of a lack of appreciation for education on the part of the U.S. It seems as though we are trying to boost our economy, but according to these standardized tests, that is a far cry for the scores our children are amounting to. Another notion of the article that seemed to lack in terms of convincing evidence, is the fact that the future of our economy is being predicted from a standardized test given to teenagers. While the scores don’t lie, it’s hard to reason that the U.S. is on an economic downturn because of a simple standardized test. It’s hard to get around the fact that the U.S is ranked 25th out of 34, but the scores vary by minimal numbers, even to those of Shanghai. While we may not be the best at standardized testing, this article makes it seem as though we are struggling academically with our children. It’s hard to see past the numbers, but future of U.S. economy can’t simply be predicted by these tests.

Part Two: Article Comparison

In comparing the two articles, “Top Test Scores from Shanghai Stun Educators” posted in The New York Times, and “U.S. Teens Lag as China Soars on International Test” posted on Bloomberg, we see distinct differences in how the two are written and presented. These differences shape how the reader perceives the situation at hand, and overall argues for a certain ideological position the reader will take from reading the article. A few differences between these two articles show how the two have somewhat contrasting views on how the topic of soaring Shanghai international test scores are trouncing the U.S. test scores.

One of the main differences that can be seen between these two articles is the obvious attention towards the credibility of the standardized tests being given to each country in this study. The New York Times article has a quick comment about how it is hard to base results and predictions on the future of our education system, solely on standardized tests alone. This is an obvious scenario to consider when comparing the educational programs of different countries that vary vastly in politics, especially concerning the education departments. On the other hand, the article posted on Bloomberg has a heavy favor in comparing countries based on these standardized tests. It took into consideration the future of the economy for America based on the standardized tests given to teens across the globe. This difference in articles leaves a wide range of opinions open based on a single paragraph.

The article from Bloomberg argues that countries can easily be comparable academically because of the standardized tests handed out, while The New York Times article has a little weariness in the same category. While both give some of the same statistical information based on the results of these tests, the Bloomberg article argues people into a position that the U.S. is lacking in education and the future economy will decline because of these poor test results compared to other counties involved in the exams. Instead of focusing mainly on results, we can see The New York Times article has a slightly reduced demeanor when it comes to these test results. The articles looks at the facts, but also takes into consideration what the test scores mean, rather than assuming there is no other way to find information about each country’s academic levels.

This simple difference, among others, between these two articles is the cornerstone of varying opinions about the topic at hand. While some may read the articles and have a set in stone opinion about the meaning of these standardized tests, others may read them and try to search for more answers instead of believing what’s told to them first. Simple arguments between articles set the reader up to have unique opinions and views. It’s up to the reader to decipher these articles and find their own sense of truth.

Part Three: ‘Controlling the News’ (and History) Breakdown

The United States has always taken pride in itself for being so advanced in many aspects. Although standardized tests are only one way to predict how well the education system is doing its job, scoring lower than over twenty countries is enough of a reason to question the way America is working to educate students. Both articles reference the launching of Sputnik as if to insinuate competition between the United States and other places when it comes to achieving a high standard of education as well as to illustrate how Shanghai’s ability will undoubtedly spread. “Wow, I’m kind of stunned, I’m thinking Sputnik,” said Chester E. Finn Jr., who served in President Ronald Reagan’s Department of Education, referring to the groundbreaking Soviet satellite launching. Mr. Finn, who has visited schools all across China, said, “I’ve seen how relentless the Chinese are at accomplishing goals, and if they can do this in Shanghai in 2009, they can do it in 10 cities in 2019, and in 50 cities by 2029.”

The Chinese are being recognized for their success and intelligence all over the world. It has even projected itself into a stereotype that students at the University of Minnesota most likely encounter frequently. It’s automatically assumed that all Asians are brainiacs capable of solving any type of equation imaginable in a short amount of time. All in all, China’s become a country in the limelight and an example to follow; it has set the bar as the ideal standard. Shanghai has even been deemed an “industrial powerhouse” due to its ever accelerating technology as well as 20 million some residents and modern universities. The world is looking to China for answers and guidance on how to achieve success.