Study Finds Senior Exams Are Too Basic

[trogdor]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/10/education/10exam.html?th

A study of high school graduation exams, rites of passage for more than half the nation's secondary school students, shows that they largely test material taught in the 9th and 10th grades. Such material, the study said, is often taught at the middle school level in other industrialized countries.

The study found that the tests measured very basic material and skills, insufficient for success in university courses or in jobs paying salaries higher than the poverty level, currently about $18,000 for a family of four.

I just love this part.

The report came under attack from FairTest, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, which opposes what it calls "one size fits all" exit exams. Bob Schaeffer, public education director for the organization, said that Achieve's reports invariably called for raising the academic bar for students.

One size fits all is bad how? Are they saying Arizona kids are stupider than, say, New York kids and therefore shouldn't be expected to perform at the same level? I don't know about any of you, but I find that a bit offensive. It's just one way of keeping the red states red, IMO.

I think a reasonable national standard for high school graduation is a good thing, something the Department of Education should be actively pursuing, but I suppose that requires an education secretary who is an educator first, and a politician second. I'm sure these other industrialized countries where they teach our 10th grade material to 7th graders have such standards.