QOD — How Can An Accountability Testing Scheme Produce Such Low SAT Scores?

QOD — How Can An Accountability Testing Scheme Produce Such Low SAT Scores?

27 Comments
We found out this week that approximately 25% of Delaware's High school students are college-ready, in terms of their SAT scores. Leaving aside that SAT scoring is not the most reliable measure of college-readiness, what is the correlation between the SATs and the DCAS testing regime in Delaware's schools? It seems to me that if DCAS measures what a kid is learning (yes, I know that is a BIG IF), and the kids are taking a curriculum that makes them ready for college, how can the SAT scores be so out of line with all of this testing? It is pretty remarkable to me that DCAS is used as an accountability test, but that it apparently all of that learning it measures doesn't translate to better SAT scores.
QOD — Should the NFL Lose Their Federal Tax Exemption?

QOD — Should the NFL Lose Their Federal Tax Exemption?

12 Comments
Easy question -- the NFL head office gets to operate as a non-profit (even though individual teams pay taxes), exempt from Federal taxes. There's probably not a ton of money involved in eliminating this tax subsidy, but there is no reason my a sports league (even if it is the head office only) to no have to pay taxes. It isn't as though the NFL needs any special incentives to operate or to make money. They squeeze enough of those out of the taxpayers of the cities they play in. And apparently, professional hockey and professional golf have the same deal. Seriously?

QOD — Get Your Gameface On

5 Comments
This image seems to be going viral fast and is a photoshopped version of an ad that is part of the Cover Girl Game face makeup (WTF?), and is accompanied by a pretty strong message to fire Roger Goodell. What do you think?
QOD — Should the US Boycott the Sochi Olympics?

QOD — Should the US Boycott the Sochi Olympics?

11 Comments
George Takei has a provocative blog post arguing that It's Time to Move the Olympics:
It’s been bubbling for some time, but the controversy over Russia’s draconian “gay propaganda” law has now boiled over.Last week, Russia’s Sports Minister confirmed that the country intends to enforce its laws against visiting LGBT athletes, trainers and fans, meaning anyone even so much as waving a rainbow flag (and I presume many men enthusiastically watching and dramatically commenting on figure skating) would be arrested, held for weeks and then deported.Given this position, the IOC must do the right thing, protect its athletes and the fans, and move the 2014 Winter Olympics out of Russia.

QotD

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This edition of the QotD is brought to you by Armstrong Williams. Do you remember Armstrong Williams? He was just one of the media figures secretly paid by the Bush…