Quote:
|
I have not seen one, and I do not mean this as commentary on the tests. but I do have a question to pose... In a school with several racial, economic, and social groups - like most public schools - would the failures of any one group tend to drag down the other groups in the same school? I mean, these groups are interacting with one another in classes - so, looking at it from an individual view, if student X is a real dumbass, then does student Y suffer for it while the instructor devotes more time to student X?
|
I think the answer is that NO student should EVER be allowed to fall so far behind that he cannot pass the test for his grade level. When I was in school, there were a couple of different classes/groups. The lowest achievers should still be able to pass these tests.
We're not talking about getting a high enough SAT score to get into M.I.T. Take a look at the sample tests. These tests are about making sure that you have a bare minimum of knowledge. You don't have to be thoughtful or clever--these aren't MENSA tests. No trick questions, just the absolute basics.
I think a lot of people make the mistake that these tests are like the SATs, where you're under lots of pressure and only the smartest kids do very well.
I think if people realized that these tests were just a basic check to see if a school was teaching kids ANYTHING AT ALL, there would be a lot less controversy and criticism.