Yesterday, I was glad to hear that the legality of the high school exit exam was finally being challenged in court. And it looks as if the judge agrees. The Superintendent of Public Instruction has said that he is going to fight it if the judge rules that the test is illegal. And just the fact that he will use our tax money to fight it irritates me.
People who think you can quantify everything and everybody with a test are pervasive throughout the ranks of government workers. It’s that personality type that always looks for a government job where they can do that without challenge. They just love to make rules! And to have all of that power concentrated into this one examination must make them giddy with delight.
Think about it. This exam tells you what? It tells you what someone knew at one particular hour on one particular day. That’s all. Had a bad day? Too bad! You’re out! Where were the “testers” when Johnny was 7 and couldn’t read…but his teacher passed him on to the next grade anyway? Where were the “testers” when Sally complained that no one at home would help her with her homework? To ignore these children until that one fateful day is not just illegal, it’s immoral as well.
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