UK: One in four boys fails writing test for seven-year-old pupils

Submitted by anthony on Thu, 2009-08-27 00:54

Story here. Excerpt:

'Girls swept the board in national curriculum tests for seven-year-olds, beating boys in every paper – reading, writing, speaking and listening, maths and science.

The biggest gap was in writing, where one in four boys failed to reach the standard expected, compared with just 13 per cent of girls.

Overall, the results showed a one percentage point improvement in writing this year from 80 per cent to 81 per cent – but a one per cent slump in maths to 89 per cent. Reading, and speaking and listening, remained the same at 84 per cent and 87 per cent respectively – as did science at 89 per cent.

David Laws, the Liberal Democrats' education spokesman, described the decline in maths scores as "a blow to ministers who have been targeting resources in order to improve performance". He added: "The Government should be especially ashamed of the fact that one in four boys failed to master basic writing skills by this age."'

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Comments

Keep in mind we are talking about 7 year-olds here. The boys have alot of time to catch up. Writing probably isn't their thing at this age.

I also wonder what they are asking the boys to write about and what gender is grading the writings. (the scoring of writing is somewhat subjective anyway)

My hunch is that the questions are developed and scored by women who know nothing about the interests or writing styles of boys.

I doubt they are intersted in testing anything that boys tend to excel at.

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Submitted by Kris on Thu, 2009-08-27 05:23

The gynocentrism has even found its way into elite pre-schools. Formerly, knowledge of the alphabet and certain other skills were emphasized to qualify. The last decade, however, has seen the addition of tests of fine motor skills, precisely the kind little girls excel in--you know, coloring inside the lines as opposed to, say, throwing a ball. And then they are actually "surprised" when these top-of-the-line pre-schools admit more females!

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Submitted by Hunchback on Thu, 2009-08-27 03:56

manonthestreet

Both the above post are correct. But that said it can not be ignored. It is just another example of the relentless and never ending push to marginalize boys and of course later men. You know every day it is possible to read of another strike against men and maleness. So where will we be in 10 years time? For sure much worst off than now. I am know to make the occasional critical remarks about women in my posts ( the word filth come to mind). However, I am not so blind that I can not see that the larger part of our enemy are men. It is male politicians , judges and police who are really in the van of the feminist attack.

I think my biggest disappointment is that for me so many MRAs are facing the wrong enemy and at times are part of it. They are often patriotic when in fact the state is female and unendingly feminist. They support wars thinking that it is some how manly when in fact it does nothing other than weaken men and maleness. Worse the wars going on now are no more that an attempt to spread feminism by force. The Afghans are right to resist it.

They are often anti Marxist, conflating their right wing politics with being an MRA. Marx was born in 1818. When he war born Beethoven was still alive and was yet to write his ninth symphony. To start to blame him for feminism is like blaming Christ for the troubles in Northern Ireland. Sure there is a connection but its hardly Christ's fault. And so it is with feminism.

When there is no patriotism, no politicians and no military then there will be no feminism either.

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Submitted by trotter on Thu, 2009-08-27 09:12