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As expectations rise, schools scramble to help students clear test hurdles
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From Ohio to Los Angeles, schools give second chances and relax standards to prevent leaving too many behind. - photo by Eric Schulzke
The good news in Columbus, Ohio, schools this summer is that 87 percent of its third-graders passed the reading test and can move on to the next grade, WBNS 10-TV reports. The bad news is that 599, or 13 percent, did not.

But in the spirit of No Child Left Behind, Columbus school officials are giving these students another chance. Social workers went door-to-door over the weekend, WBNS reports, informing parents that it isn't too late.

"We're committed to this because we want all of our students to move to the fourth grade," Cheryl Ward, supervisor of the districts Student and Family Engagement, told WBNS.

Every student who did not meet the cut scores for the OAA test has the opportunity to go to summer school. They have the opportunity to get the skills and the strategies that they need in order to take the test," Ward said.

This effort to help nudge kids across the line comes a week after the Los Angeles Unified School district voted to lower the required grade in a series of college prep classes to a D, rather than a C.

The tougher requirement had set up a potential train wreck, the Daily News reported, with 51 percent of the district's incoming seniors for next fall already behind for graduation.

In Florida, meanwhile, preliminary test results show that 20 percent of the state's third-graders are at risk of being held back, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

By law, in Florida, the bottom quintile on the third-grade exams must be considered for repeating the grade, and schools are then given a rubric to make those individual decisions.

The struggles over grade promotion got an echo in a widely noted NPR report last week, which argued that in many states rising graduation rates do not necessarily reflect better performance, but are often the result of policies designed to give extra help and chances to technically clear the bar, rather than to truly master the material.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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