As all of us know, California has a high school exit exam. Students must pass this exam in order to graduate from high school. In recent news, some parents and groups, mostly from the Oakland and San Fran area, are sueing the state claiming that the test discriminates against poor people.
The objective of the suit is to stop the high school exit exam from appearing in schools anymore. This, I think, is a huge mistake. Since 1990 people have been saying that students are being pushed through the system, not learning anything, only so the schools can claim a higher pass rate. I think we can all agree that students must know or learn the material if they are to pass through. Passing them through isn't helping anyone.
So what better way to find out if they are learning something than to test them on that exact material?
Just like certain jobs require a certain amount of skill or knowledge, so should high school graduates. The test is meant to show if these students have an elementary grasp of what they were taught for 12 years of their lives. If pushing students through the system who should have failed is only hurting said students, then by the same logic giving these same kids a diploma when they don't actually have a high school education will only hurt them and the country in the long run.
I don't buy the argument that it hurts poor people more than those with more money. It's true that schools in low income areas may be worse and may not teach to the same level as others, I agree that may be true. But that's not what the exam is designed to test. The high school exit exam is designed to see if students actually know the material they're supposed to know.
The exam isn't testing kids on advanced levels by any definition of the word. This test is very remedial, and students are allowed to take it up to 4 times in high school. The students who didn't or aren't passing the exam are not benefitting from its abololition. They're actually being hurt, they're the ones who will go out into the work force armed with a piece of paper they don't live up to. They will be turned down from the jobs they feel they deserve, they will be working the same jobs they would have if they didn't graduate.
If anything, schools with a higher failing percentage can be seen more easily and can more readily be given the attention they need in order to get teachers with credentials and adequate scores next time around. Students who actually care about their graduation will try harder in order to pass the test and graduate.
So, to all those who claim it's racist or discriminatory, fuck off. It's simple really, if your kid doesn't know what A+B is, he shouldn't be given a paper that says he passed his A+B test. Students who don't grasp the lowest levels of high school education should not be given the diploma that says they do. Period.
The objective of the suit is to stop the high school exit exam from appearing in schools anymore. This, I think, is a huge mistake. Since 1990 people have been saying that students are being pushed through the system, not learning anything, only so the schools can claim a higher pass rate. I think we can all agree that students must know or learn the material if they are to pass through. Passing them through isn't helping anyone.
So what better way to find out if they are learning something than to test them on that exact material?
Just like certain jobs require a certain amount of skill or knowledge, so should high school graduates. The test is meant to show if these students have an elementary grasp of what they were taught for 12 years of their lives. If pushing students through the system who should have failed is only hurting said students, then by the same logic giving these same kids a diploma when they don't actually have a high school education will only hurt them and the country in the long run.
I don't buy the argument that it hurts poor people more than those with more money. It's true that schools in low income areas may be worse and may not teach to the same level as others, I agree that may be true. But that's not what the exam is designed to test. The high school exit exam is designed to see if students actually know the material they're supposed to know.
The exam isn't testing kids on advanced levels by any definition of the word. This test is very remedial, and students are allowed to take it up to 4 times in high school. The students who didn't or aren't passing the exam are not benefitting from its abololition. They're actually being hurt, they're the ones who will go out into the work force armed with a piece of paper they don't live up to. They will be turned down from the jobs they feel they deserve, they will be working the same jobs they would have if they didn't graduate.
If anything, schools with a higher failing percentage can be seen more easily and can more readily be given the attention they need in order to get teachers with credentials and adequate scores next time around. Students who actually care about their graduation will try harder in order to pass the test and graduate.
So, to all those who claim it's racist or discriminatory, fuck off. It's simple really, if your kid doesn't know what A+B is, he shouldn't be given a paper that says he passed his A+B test. Students who don't grasp the lowest levels of high school education should not be given the diploma that says they do. Period.
posted by Daltonius at 10:31 PM
3 comments
