Letter to the Editor: Quality of Education in Long Beach High School

May 21, 2008

by Mallorie Mae Faubert

(Long Beach, N.Y.) My name is Mallorie Faubert. I lived the majority of my life in the countryside of Pennsylvania, attending Northwestern Lehigh. I moved to Long Beach five months ago and I enrolled in Long Beach High School at the beginning of the new semester. And while it was a difficult move, I knew that it could be a great experience to go somewhere new and step out of my comfort zone. But there’s one thing that’s been troubling me during my stay here, and that’s the quality of education in Long Beach. And while my knowledge is limited to one school per state, I feel that the quality of education at Long Beach isn’t what it could or should be. There is no easy answer, but there are several factors that contribute to this problem.

Some of the problems with the quality of education begin with the state. Each state has its own testing. New York has the Regents Exams and Pennsylvania has the PSSA’s (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment). According to the 2006 state school report cards, when comparing English and Mathematics scores from Long Beach’s Regents exams with Northwestern’s PSSA’s, I found that students at Northwestern scored much higher in both. At Northwestern, 57% of the students scored 85 and above in the Mathematics testing, while at Long beach, only 33% did. In English, Northwestern had 73% scoring 85 and above, Long Beach had only 41%. But these comparisons aren’t really fair. PSSA’s are state scored tests, which means they are much more objectively graded. Having taken both tests, I found the PSSA’s to be more difficult and rigorous. The Regents are graded by the teachers of Long Beach, not the state. The teachers may be more lenient when grading these tests; they may be more subjective while grading their own students. Students are passing the Regents that maybe shouldn’t. If these tests were state graded, many more students may fail. While the Regents exams focus on content they do not test practical skills. The tests should focus more on skills that are applicable to the real world.

Graduation requirements also vary between the two schools. Northwestern graduation requirements are much higher than those at Long Beach. Because of the fewer requirements here at Long Beach, I will now be graduating with the class of ’08 instead of ’09 because I entered Long Beach with almost all the credits I needed to graduate already.

Educational standards at Long Beach also need to be improved. While most students accept a 65 as passing, other schools have higher standards. At Northwestern, for instance, anything below a 70 is failing. In Long Beach, students can attend a class and not hand in one homework assignment, fail every test, be disruptive and unprepared, and teachers are forced to give them a 55, even if their actual average is lower. How does this make students responsible for themselves and their own learning? If Long Beach were to raise its standards, perhaps students would be pushed to excel to a greater degree. This can be seen when you compare the graduation rates from Long Beach to Northwestern. The graduation rate at Northwestern is 95% after four years of school while at Long Beach it’s only 77%. The number of students who graduate should be much higher. This is an unacceptable number.

All schools have varying kinds of teachers. Some are hard; some are easy, some fun, some boring, some inspiring, while others are less stimulating. However, one thing that should always be consistent is that they should all be challenging. A teacher’s role is to push students to perform to their fullest potential. They need to present material at a ready pace so that all students in the class can absorb it and learn from it. Prerequisites should be in place so that teachers can teach at a pace that is appropriate for their students. But the material the teachers teach and the manner in which they teach it is a result of the requests of the community and of the school’s central administration. So perhaps there lies a deeper problem here.

We may want to question the community’s involvement in the students’ education. Does the community really value and push education? The PTA website has five goals listed, none of which involve stressing a good education. There is a Wall of Fame in the commons of the school. On this wall there are 83 plaques for sports achievements and only five directly related to academics. In the guidance office there is a list of the valedictorians, which no one really sees. I’ve seen students get excited about 70s and 75s. Back where I come from, that’s just not acceptable. Students complain about the small amount of work that they get, yet many of them don’t even complete the work they are given. That’s due to a combination of personal motivation and work ethic. Maybe if the Wall of Fame was used to recognize more academic achievements as well it could be a form of motivation for students. While most honors students have an intrinsic motivation, in the Regents classes that I have experienced, which represent the greatest proportion of students, the students need more motivation than just receiving a good grade. Perhaps the school and the community should put more emphasis on education.

The bottom line is that the education here at Long Beach is not adequate. The test scores prove that there are schools out there doing far better than Long Beach. The students here aren’t receiving the education that they deserve. In this failure to provide the proper education needed, these students will be more likely to fail when it comes to college. Once they leave their quaint little island of Long Beach and journey on to either college or the workforce they will be in for a real surprise. College is going to be a real slap in the face for those unprepared. The school is setting their students up to fail. Holding them to low standards and never giving them the motivation that they need and deserve can be fatal.

I want it to be known, that I’m not here to bash Long Beach. That is not my message and that is not the purpose of this article. I definitely don’t mean to sound ungrateful for everything the school has done for me. I greatly value my education. However after coming here I feel that this was something that needed to be said. There are teachers here who are truly dedicated to teaching and to the education of their students. There are intelligent students at Long Beach, students much smarter than I could ever be. But those students, and all the others, are being deprived of a quality education and this could be affecting their potential. No one should be held back from achieving all they can, but that all begins with a quality education.

There is a deep sense of pride that comes of being from Long Beach. But there is a lack of pride when it comes to Long Beach High School. I think that people see the problems with the education here but choose the easy way out and do nothing. And while change cannot happen over night, I hope that this can be the start of change on a grander scale to improve education and create a sense of pride about being from Long Beach High School. Its time to take action, and demand better.

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Please note: The above is a letter to the editor from Mallorie Mae Faubert, a student of Long Beach High School. Letters to the editor are not necessarily factual or accurate and, if opinion, are not necessarily the opinion of the owners and operators of NewsLine Inc.

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2 Responses to “Letter to the Editor: Quality of Education in Long Beach High School”

Kaitlin on June 21st, 2008 12:53 am

The regents exams, although graded by the teachers, are graded using a rubric given out by the state. There is no way a test can be graded with bias- each test is graded by a few teachers, and if there is a disagreement, it is settled between them. Essays are graded by each teacher and then all 4 or 5 grades are averaged together. You don’t seem to know enough about what you’re talking about to write an article. You can throw your statistics all over the place, but you sound quite idiotic. You’ve been here at LBHS for 5 months; I’ve been here for 2 years. I can gladly say that I’ve been taught by wonderful teachers that motivate me to do the best I can do. You mention in your article that you took all regents classes. If you weren’t satisfied with the way the class was going for you, why didn’t you just move to an honors or AP class? The regents classes are watered down because they low-level classes. Sometimes you have to challenge yourself, not just settle for the easiest thing. I’m in all honors classes this year, and last year I was in one regents class. I certainly see the difference. However, the honors classes are at times VERY challenging in certain subjects, and we aren’t given “a little bit of work.” We’re given more work than you may think, (you wouldn’t know, you took regents classes.) I don’t think your opinion is valid at all because of the fact that you haven’t been here long enough and because you haven’t experienced enough. Perhaps if you went the extra mile and took an advanced class, you would be complaining about how the classes are too challenging. Also, I also will have enough credits to graduate in 11th grade. Most kids do have enough credits to do so by junior year, it isn’t a huge accomplishment. However, I’m choosing to stay for an extra year and fill my schedule with more classes; college and AP classes; in order to help me prepare for college. Maybe you should get off your ass, stop complaining, and put a little extra work effort in before you open your mouth.

- Posted by: Kaitlin
Mallorie Mae Faubert on July 6th, 2008 7:07 pm

Kaitlin,
After reading your comment I sat here trying to plan a response; but then I realized that fighting with you is not only inappropriate but also completely immature. So I write this now only in wishes to set the facts straight. I would like to start off by saying that I understand where you are coming from and that there are two sides to every story. I did not write my article to bash Long Beach or the students in it. I do believe that you took it the most offensive way possible. I never denied the fact that there are many intelligent students in Long Beach.
I would like to first comment on the Regents exams. My information as far as bias in the grading comes simply from the teachers themselves. I have had numerous teachers admit to me that they’ve pushed up grades in order for kids to pass. They have also stated that it is a widely used practice throughout the school. Although I would love to give more merit to this argument, I will not disclose their names for their own protection. I’m not willing to put many jobs in danger just to prove a point to you.
As far as my classes go, I was not offered honors or AP courses when I came to this school. My guidance counselor knew that this was a difficult move for me and just wanted to make my experience as easy as possible. When I later discovered that the school did offer some higher-level classes it was too late to switch my entire schedule around. Although the Regents classes may be “lower level classes” they represent the majority of the schools population and the students who participate in them deserve the best education as well. I am glad that you have had positive experiences in your classes and I would have liked to participate in AP and honors classes here as well. In my old school I did take honors, accelerated, and college courses. I do challenge myself and I don’t settle for the easiest thing. I’m a very ambitious and hard-working individual. I have worked hard for everything that I have in my life. Nothing was ever just handed to me.
You also stated, “Also, I also will have enough credits to graduate in 11th grade. Most kids do have enough credits to do so by junior year, it isn’t a huge accomplishment.” Graduating early should be a huge accomplishment. This is a prime example that standards are low in Long Beach. Graduating early shouldn’t just be something that anyone can do. It should be something that you have to work very hard for and that only a few of the brightest and best are able to accomplish. Early graduation should be an achievement, not just anyone’s choice. By saying that, “it isn’t a huge accomplishment,” you are not only hurting your own argument and insulting your school but you are demeaning the accomplishments of all those who have graduated early, myself included. If the standards and graduation requirements were higher in Long Beach then not only would students be more challenged but also then graduating early could be respected as a great accomplishment, as it should be.
Lastly, you stated, “You don’t seem to know enough about what you’re talking about to write an article. You can throw your statistics all over the place, but you sound quite idiotic. You’ve been here at LBHS for 5 months; I’ve been here for 2 years.” This simply means that it took me less then five months to figure out something that you are yet to discover in your two years. Furthermore, with your poor grammar and sentence structure, you are the one who sounds idiotic. If you are going to write a response please try to at least make yourself sound intelligent. I can only hope that this isn’t the best product of those AP classes you rave about. You also say, “Maybe you should get off your ass, stop complaining, and put a little extra work effort in before you open your mouth.” I did not write my article to complain about the school. I wrote it in hopes that some change could be made. Contrary to your belief, I actually do care about the school and I do want it to provide the best education for the sake of the kids. Education is so important and what you learn in school is the foundation on which you will build the rest of your life. There is no reason why everyone can’t have the absolute BEST education, no matter where you live or what the circumstances are. You have your opinion and I have mine. The thing is, it’s not just me, I have heard from many teachers, parents, and students that they fully agree with what I had to say and that they are happy that someone was finally able to say it. You can knock me down all you want but for every person who disagrees with what I say, there are ten more lining up to shake my hand. You may think you hurt me in writing your comment but honestly all you are doing by writing responses to my article is bringing more publicity to what I have written. I hope, for your sake, that in your next two years in LBHS changes can be made and maybe you will be able to experience a real quality education.

- Posted by: Mallorie Mae Faubert