I always wondered why testing was done in the spring during allergy season. My son was at his sickest and being tested. Made no sense to me.
1
I think this article goes to show just how impactful students' environments are on their mental ability. If test scores are falling due to irritants in the air, imagine what kind of effect that would have on a student's ability to even pay attention in class. What other environmental factors could be at play? Schools are very large, kids are packed in densely, and they are exceedingly loud. There is no lack of potential distractions in the classroom. Cellphones have not helped this. I wonder what kind of change in test scores we would see if the educational environment was made more conducive to focusing and learning?
Let's see what happens when medical care becomes inaccessible for millions of children and families, school breakfast and lunches and food stamps are slashed, and the pollution rates skyrocket.
The administration must believe that only rich people contribute to society. How pathetic that is.
The administration must believe that only rich people contribute to society. How pathetic that is.
9
Having allergies can tire a body out. I sometimes feel like I have a cold when I don't. The constant symptoms sometimes leave me feeling depressed. But the cost of seeing the allergist, who may be out of network, and the cost of medication, OTC or otherwise, is too much. In America being sick and in need of treatment can cost more than all four limbs are worth combined. And that's why so many of us sound unhealthy during the pollen season and outside of the pollen season: we have allergies year round but our insurance, if we have it, doesn't do much for us.
7
The REAL issue is that if the Repubs succeed, we will go back to the recent past and allergies will be considered a pre-existing condition again. Just another chance for insurers to deny coverage.....
7
No doubt that pollen can have such effects, but we must remember that correlation is NOT causation.
Look no further than the website, Spurious Correlations
http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations
The divorce rate in Maine over time, e.g., tracks closely with the per capita consumption of margarine!
The graphs at the website are great and you can even choose which correlations to look at!
Look no further than the website, Spurious Correlations
http://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations
The divorce rate in Maine over time, e.g., tracks closely with the per capita consumption of margarine!
The graphs at the website are great and you can even choose which correlations to look at!
Here's another correlation, observations by experts (you know the people that actually treat these conditions) coupled with patient experience may mean something more than pure statistics, laborious research wasting $ and time when something seems reasonable. This should be weighed with what if the observation is false? Is it the end of the world? This is not rocket science! Some of the greatest scientists were keen observers...this is not spurious correlation.
What kind of evidence would you need for climate change to influenced my human activity? The start of an ice age?
Tell me how would you design the study to prove this point? better yet, tell us how much $, time and man/woman power would you need...thanks
What kind of evidence would you need for climate change to influenced my human activity? The start of an ice age?
Tell me how would you design the study to prove this point? better yet, tell us how much $, time and man/woman power would you need...thanks
4
Well, let's see. The per capita consumption of margarine might be correlated with poverty and/or obesity, which might contribute to stress levels, which might be a contributing factor to divorce, no? Maybe not so spurious after all.
1
"For students allergic to pollen, Mr. Bensnes found that a pollen count increase of 37 — large enough to cause symptoms in highly allergic people — is associated with a drop of about one-tenth of a point in exam scores. The scores range from one (worst performance) to six (best performance)."
Marginal, truly marginal!
It is less than a 2-point drop on a 100 point scale!
.1 drop on a 6-point scale =
1.6 drop on a 96-point scale!
(Just multiply both by 16!)
And that
1.6 drop on a 96-point scale
=
1.7 drop on a 102-point scale.
(Just add 1/16 to both)
Or, let's do this another way.
.1/6 = 1/60
1/60 * 100 = 1 2/3 or about 1.66 points.
So, even with a big pollen hit, the test score effect would be dropping from say a 93 to a 91. No big deal!
Or from an 89 to an 87!
That's likely well within the margins of error of the standardized tests, anyway!
And, here I am suffering from pollen allergies as we speak, with my head in a fog, but doing these calculations anyway!
LOL!
Marginal, truly marginal!
It is less than a 2-point drop on a 100 point scale!
.1 drop on a 6-point scale =
1.6 drop on a 96-point scale!
(Just multiply both by 16!)
And that
1.6 drop on a 96-point scale
=
1.7 drop on a 102-point scale.
(Just add 1/16 to both)
Or, let's do this another way.
.1/6 = 1/60
1/60 * 100 = 1 2/3 or about 1.66 points.
So, even with a big pollen hit, the test score effect would be dropping from say a 93 to a 91. No big deal!
Or from an 89 to an 87!
That's likely well within the margins of error of the standardized tests, anyway!
And, here I am suffering from pollen allergies as we speak, with my head in a fog, but doing these calculations anyway!
LOL!
Yes but we're talking about a1600 point scale and it is percentiles. So while your numbers seem trivial, in the real world this could put a student in a percentile range that would be below that of a chosen university. it is nothing to scoff at. it is discriminatory based on an inborn characteristic. is that fair or even legal?
3
Since the scores range from 1-6, it's actually a 2% drop. 0.1/(6-1) = .02.
The real question is what is the standard deviation of these scores. If they're evenly distributed from 1-6, it's not so bad. If they're bunched in the middle, it's much worse.
The real question is what is the standard deviation of these scores. If they're evenly distributed from 1-6, it's not so bad. If they're bunched in the middle, it's much worse.
1
Had hay fever when I first took the SAT 40 years ago and clearly did not do as well as I could have without hay fever. And somehow it's news in 2017 that illness adversely affects test takers.
3
I, too, was a regular seasonal allergy sufferer and this year has been particularly bad. But I really didn't like that I was taking pills/sprays on a daily basis, sometimes more than once a day. After past failed attempts, I've now been using a neti pot more or less daily for about a month, and I have not taken ANY allergy medications during that time -- and haven't needed to. Seriously, it's been a life-changer. It takes some getting used to and might be harder for kids to get the hang of it, but stick with it. It's well worth it -- saving money, not ingesting meds, feeling better than ever.
6
Allergies -- just one of the many ways life ain't fair.
In the olden days we allergy sufferers could choose between misery and Benadryl, a drug that's now used as a sleep aid. Either way, test scores suffered. So did relationships, work life, sports performance, and even how we drove (--don't ask).
But what are we really measuring with all-or-nothing school testing? Maybe it's useful for the scores to exist so they can bring light to how people respond to concurrent measured adversities. For other uses--well, let me take a claritin and get back to you
In the olden days we allergy sufferers could choose between misery and Benadryl, a drug that's now used as a sleep aid. Either way, test scores suffered. So did relationships, work life, sports performance, and even how we drove (--don't ask).
But what are we really measuring with all-or-nothing school testing? Maybe it's useful for the scores to exist so they can bring light to how people respond to concurrent measured adversities. For other uses--well, let me take a claritin and get back to you
3
Do you want to know the very worst? New York City constantly plants replaces and replants the same high allergenic trees year after year . They could not have chosen a more allergic tree than these . And they continue to do it right next to schools and everything else they can surround with pollen. It is positively scandalous that they plant London plane, honey locusts, zelkovas, Kentucky coffee trees , and other high pollen trees. Arborists all agree that if the city planted only female trees the problem will all but go away. They have known this for several generations of trees. But won't change!
14
I am suffering terribly this year and I hear it's a particularly bad one because of our late Spring here.
As a NYer we had to take the State Regents exams in late June and during those exams, I could barely see out of my eyes--they were swollen shut and itchy. I was in agony from tree and grass pollens.
All these years later nothing has changed- I keep forgetting to begin a shots regimen in February but no more; I have them clearly marked in my 2018 calendar
As a NYer we had to take the State Regents exams in late June and during those exams, I could barely see out of my eyes--they were swollen shut and itchy. I was in agony from tree and grass pollens.
All these years later nothing has changed- I keep forgetting to begin a shots regimen in February but no more; I have them clearly marked in my 2018 calendar
2
I just finished being sick as a dog for the last two weeks of April and the first two weeks of May. The worst allergy season for the past several years. Since the age of 13, April and October, typically beautiful weather wise, have been my mortal enemies. It's as if all that natural beauty has been trying to snuff the very life out of me. I have very vivid memories of suffering terribly during my school years. Thank God I was smart and if my test grades dropped it was from A to A- or to B , but the physical misery was intense. My brain function was noticeably diminished, and it felt like my head was wrapped in gauze, all outside input was muted and far away. I was a warm body in a chair, not a funtioning brain trying to learn.
Back then, we had no choice when to take the PSAT or the SAT. The school chose for us. I remember slogging through one of those tests and having the nun proctering the exam actually yell at me for dozing off in my brain fog. It would have been SO much better to have taken that test when I wasn't sick. Why should any student have to be measured under such circumstances if it can be easily avoided with a different test date?
BTW, I now survive with a combination of Flonase (a steroid nasal spray) and Zyrtec. Would that they had existed in the 60's!!!
Back then, we had no choice when to take the PSAT or the SAT. The school chose for us. I remember slogging through one of those tests and having the nun proctering the exam actually yell at me for dozing off in my brain fog. It would have been SO much better to have taken that test when I wasn't sick. Why should any student have to be measured under such circumstances if it can be easily avoided with a different test date?
BTW, I now survive with a combination of Flonase (a steroid nasal spray) and Zyrtec. Would that they had existed in the 60's!!!
12
Clearly most of the commenters here do not have allergies. For those that do, Spring allergies are debilitating. If you have been through the brain fog, fatigue, lethargy, etc., this time of year, you understand.
27
In the mid 1930s when my father was at CCNY his pollen allergies were so bad that he was allowed to take final exams in the fall. He then received shots to reduce his allergic responses and managed graduate school. He began college at the age of 15 (not unusual in NYC then) and suffered all four years. There is nothing new about adjusting for medical issues.
5
From the few comments so far, it seems like a lot of flame being thrown at the author, and this article. His recommendation, at the end, makes sense. Find an allergy medicine that doesn't make you drowsy. Do the important things when you don't feel like you are underwater, if you can. Not too controversial.
2
Except a lot of these medications have side effects and their usefulness wears off fairly quickly as the body acclimatizes to them.
Unfortunately most non-allergy sufferers (or those who only suffer during the spring) underestimate how much if affects sufferers on a daily basis. It's not just a little sniffle or minor illness. Allergies affect one both physically and mentally and can cause one to be socially isolated (no one wants to be around someone with a constant runny nose for instance).
I took allergy shots at my doctor's office for 25 years before finally giving up and now take a combination of OTC and prescription meds every day (7-8 different kinds of meds every day). I've developed hives that lasted 8 months and the only thing that made them go away was going on cyclosporine which is an anti rejection drug they give to organ transplant recipients. It worked by shutting down my immune system which means I opened myself up to an increased cancer risk among other things.
When you have an immune system that does not work properly, it affects just about every aspect of the body. I wish more people (and the government) viewed allergies as a proper disability.
And I wish more than anything that a cure could be found! I've been miserable with some sort of allergic response every day of my life.
Unfortunately most non-allergy sufferers (or those who only suffer during the spring) underestimate how much if affects sufferers on a daily basis. It's not just a little sniffle or minor illness. Allergies affect one both physically and mentally and can cause one to be socially isolated (no one wants to be around someone with a constant runny nose for instance).
I took allergy shots at my doctor's office for 25 years before finally giving up and now take a combination of OTC and prescription meds every day (7-8 different kinds of meds every day). I've developed hives that lasted 8 months and the only thing that made them go away was going on cyclosporine which is an anti rejection drug they give to organ transplant recipients. It worked by shutting down my immune system which means I opened myself up to an increased cancer risk among other things.
When you have an immune system that does not work properly, it affects just about every aspect of the body. I wish more people (and the government) viewed allergies as a proper disability.
And I wish more than anything that a cure could be found! I've been miserable with some sort of allergic response every day of my life.
2
Sorry, very sorry to hear of your miseries!
Many of them sound like allergic reactions to the medicines used to treat the allergies.
Why not try a phased withdrawal?! Or, even better, relocating away from the pollen source of the allergens?!
Many of them sound like allergic reactions to the medicines used to treat the allergies.
Why not try a phased withdrawal?! Or, even better, relocating away from the pollen source of the allergens?!
Kathy, try helminthic therapy or ldn (low dose naltrexone). These have helped me tremendously. It seems that the microbiome has a huge influence on the existence of hayfever and all kinds of immune diseases - this referring to the helminthic therapy. But funny enough also fecal microbiotic transplants (poop transplants) seem to help against allergies.
The nyt does a great job in general. I am not a "fake news Trumpster." But the media does get this wrong often. Many studies come out that CORRELATE X with Y. However, few of these studies show X is CAUSED by Y. But the media jumps in completely. The same is true here. There could be many causes for this timing. Maybe kids want to go out and play? Maybe they sleep less as the days get longer? These studies almost always end up being flawed. Maybe the parents work more and don't watch over them as much?
This is a very common problem with reporting.
This is a very common problem with reporting.
2
Clearly you don't have hayfever.
3
So you would perform a task as well with a headache, indigestion or pain of broken leg as without? Unlikely. Just because there are many variables doesn't mean all are then meaningless. Apparently you want to argue nothing affects anything.
2
Timed Tests do count. However, a Chronological Timed Test that lasts a year, as opposed to just a few SAT, GRE, LSAT hours, is more important. The Best Schools, both University and K-12, go by the longer test. These Superior All Academic Schools take the time to individualize, instead of standardize. These tests that this article talks about, are really tests geared toward Average Measurement. The Best Schools don't even go there, and so don't use the perhaps "questionable questions" that were designed by, NOT the best, brightest, brilliant Testmakers to begin with.------ I haven't even discussed whether the Student was affected by the Pollen Count!
2
One more reason that High Stakes Testing is a failure. It is pure pseudoscience. Let the SAT go the way of phrenology and eugenics: useless and possibly harmful to society.
1
"You don't fatten your lambs by weighing them." ~ Vermont farmers
Yes this is a good idea. I am a great test-taker, my math and verbal SATs were 99 percentile. Once in college I forgot I had an exam, strolled into class 15 minutes late, and still scored an A. In engineering thermodynamics. Exams are my friend.
Yet even I have flubbed exams during allergy season. Either because of drowsiness from medication or extreme distraction caused by the icky stuff trying to explode out my nose.
College choices shouldn't be so influenced by pollen count. So it's better to move the exams.
Yet even I have flubbed exams during allergy season. Either because of drowsiness from medication or extreme distraction caused by the icky stuff trying to explode out my nose.
College choices shouldn't be so influenced by pollen count. So it's better to move the exams.
12
Well thank goodness I developed pollen allergies as an adult and didn't have them as a child --I had perfect attendance at school from about age 8 until I graduated at 18, no seasonal sneezing or itching I can recall and nice high SAT scores (without benefit of coaches or courses).
However, what I have experienced as an adult sometimes verges on debilitating and certainly affects my life and cognitive abilities now. Massive headaches, a nausea type feeling that overtakes practically my whole body, irritability, lethargy during the day and sometimes difficulty sleeping at night. It varies greatly from day to day and seasaon to season, but I have come to dread spring.
However, what I have experienced as an adult sometimes verges on debilitating and certainly affects my life and cognitive abilities now. Massive headaches, a nausea type feeling that overtakes practically my whole body, irritability, lethargy during the day and sometimes difficulty sleeping at night. It varies greatly from day to day and seasaon to season, but I have come to dread spring.
10
Hi Ellienyc, from what you wrote, I question whether your pain is due to pollen allergies. I am not sure which MD to go to for another opinion. I have found that the Higher the IQ and Education Credentials, the better the one-on-one conversation is, and also the final analysis.
1
You can't be serious? So what happens in the "real world"? Your pollen count is up and your allergies flare and you are scheduled to make a big pitch to a potential client and close a huge deal. Do you cancel? This is what we are teaching our kids? No wonder the snowflakes are incapable of dealing with reality. This is really amazing to me.
12
Would you schedule a pitch the morning after a big meet or performance? I doubt it. You'd plan ahead and do what you could to avoid a back-to-back scenario. We know when pollen will peak. Why not use this theory as motivation to teach kids to use available information to plan for success? Similar to teaching them to tackle tough tasks in the morning, kids could learn to do the mentally taxing bits of a project on a day when the pollen count is low. No reason to bend over backwards last-minute, but on the same token, there's no reason to add an unnecessarily burden. As Austin Frankt notes, not all tests are offered on dates outside allergy season. Then it's simply the luck of the draw.
13
A kid's future should not be impaired because that one exam she has to score her best on takes place on a day when her head is so clogged with snot that she can barely remember her own name.
9
Anita and Anne--- Top Level Firms don't do "pitches", and rarely do board room meetings. For your product: Write it down on a piece of paper, like an Essay. These Firms go for the long term. Business lasts All of the Time, not just two hours for this, two hours for that. Analysis covers 24 hours a day. These Firms do not consume. Austin Frakt needs to be exposed to the Top Level of Higher Education/Business. This article just covers, at most, The Middle. I say: Go For The Top! First, the People need to know what that looks like!