April 23, 2001



The WASL issue




Now, i know i hardly ever post about anything serious anymore. Seriously. Yes, i know some of you are stunned. But in all truth, i finally have a subject that i consider to be of some serious concern. Education. I think most of us would agree that the education system has flaws, though some of us probably differ as to how much they are flawed, and how we would all solve these flaws. Personally, i find fault with some aspects of the education system, and one of those factors is the standardized test.

I was just watching the news, which is pre-recorded with a "LIVE" label on it...funny, and they featured a story about boycotting the WASL test. Guess which school was featured: Bethel Junior High School. How very interesting... Now i have a huge problem with standardized tests. Why? Well, it is not because i could never pass them, for in truth i often scored in the highest percentile for standardized tests. That, in fact, is part of my grievence. There should not be a high percentile, and if there is, then i should NOT be able to score in that top. Anyone with half an iota of common sense can come up with a reasonably good score on a standardized test. I hate, hate, hate, HATE multiple choice tests. I don't care how easy they are, and i don't care how much harder an essay question or short answer test is, i would prefer it then multiple choice any day. Why? Simple. Multiple choice is the equivalent of having a bird regurgitate its food, just to see what it had eaten. Anyone can train to remember facts. I want there to be a way to determine if a person can not only remember information, but actually UNDERSTAND and COMPREHEND that information.

Here lies the largest problem with education. Too often we have teachers that ask us to remember the day that the alamo fell, or remember the day of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. They hardly ever ask us to understand why it happened, or what events caused that event to happen. Further, if you understand the whys of something, it makes it a hell of a lot easier to remember something arbitrary as when. (An exception to "when" as being arbitrary is history, since history does have some importance with dates.) Instead of asking what two plus two is, we should be asking, why does two plus two equal four?

This need for understanding is accentuated by the fact that most teachers realize the need for smaller classrooms. Smaller classrooms is not a way of getting out of dealing with less rowdy kids. At least not for the good teachers. Smaller classrooms equals more discussions, which equals more understanding, and comprehension.

Ahem, sorry about that huge spasm of information, but when it comes to education systems, i take it very seriously. Currently there is a WASL boycott, which i find very interesting, and can't wait to see the results of this and how it plays out. Considering that many WASL test takers who are forced to take it don't even truly try, i am considering supporting such a boycott. I don't like the WASL. I don't like the SAT. I don't like the ACT. In fact, the only standardized test that i can actually stand are AP tests, because there are portions that ask you to answer a question, or solve a problem, in YOUR OWN WAY. That means, if you can find a way to solve or answer the question, even if it is beyond bizarre, as long as it makes sense in the end, and you show comprehension, you get it right. Now that is a test.

MOnDO7

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