Obama W.H. change official biography pages of past presidents?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
President Barack Obama is under fire for adding his own policy plugs to the official biographies of past presidents on the White House website.
Here's how it works: The White House added blurbs to the end of these biographies. These "Hey, did you know?" factoids appear on nearly every president's bio page going back to Calvin Coolidge.
For example:
"In a June 28, 1985, speech, Reagan called for a fairer tax code, one where a multimillionaire did not have a lower tax rate than his secretary. Today, President Obama is calling for the same with the Buffett Rule."
These added links plug everything from Obama’s health care overhaul to Social Security, Medicare and the repeal of don't ask, don't tell.
Republicans are having a field day with this.
The RNC created a hysterical "Obama in History" website. It shows the president as part of other historical events like the moon landing and the Declaration of Independence and with historical figures such as Albert Einstein, Richard Nixon and Elvis.
The White House insists that the biographies themselves weren't changed. They tell Fox News they "simply added links at the bottom of each page." They say this is a commonly used Internet practice to encourage people to explore further.
Maybe so.
However, one expert tells ABC News that while these additions didn't "cross the line" by changing the presidential biographies, the White House could have made it clearer that they weren't part of the official White House presidential biographies.
Here’s my question to you: Is it appropriate for President Obama to change the official biography pages of past presidents on the White House website?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 4pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.
Florida lowers passing test grade after students' scores drop?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Yet another sign that our education system is failing:
Florida is lowering the passing grade on the writing portion of a standardized test.
Students' 2012 scores plunged on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test writing exam.
Only 27% of fourth graders scored a passing grade of 4 - out of a possible 6.
Last year 81% of fourth graders passed. Eighth and 10th graders had similar declines in their scores.
So the state Board of Education decided to change the test's passing score to a 3 - from a 4. Presto. Suddenly the number of kids who passed was about the same as last year.
Critics say by manipulating test results, Florida is covering up problems in the system. It has also reignited an ongoing debate over using standardized test scores to make important education decisions.
The state education commissioner defends the decision, saying it "helps to correct the process, not the results."
Schools and parents were told this was coming. Florida announced last summer there would be tougher grading for the writing exam - with more focus on spelling, grammar and punctuation. In the past, those issues had been graded with "leniency."
State officials say they may not have communicated those changes well to school districts and teachers.
It kind of makes you wonder how Florida graded these writing exams before the increased focus on little things like spelling and grammar.
Here’s my question to you: What does it say about U.S. education if Florida lowered the passing grade on a standardized test after students' scores dropped?
Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.
And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.</strong5
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