Tuesday, October 14, 2003

Scaling Back Changes on Regents Standards. The decision to delay holding all students in the state to higher standards begs a question: Does it make sense to hold students to an elevated standard that is the same for all? By Karen W. Arenson. [New York Times: Education] Finally someone is coming out and saying it in the mainstream press. This movement toward "higher standards" and "raising the bar", while it sounds all well and good, is the most unrealistic and stupid thing to attempt to do. Why would we want all students to look the same? Does everyone have to be a doctor, lawyer, or computer scientist? If so, who the heck is going to fix my car when it breaks down and no one in the country is being taught auto mechanics anymore. And no, not everybody is ever going to meet the same hgih standards. As the article aptly states, would we expect everyone to run a 5-minute mile?  What good are we doing students who are denied a diploma because they couldn't master trigonometry or physics? It's absurd. There is nothing wrong with having different levels of diplomas, that would recognize the accomplishments of the particular student. But as I understand, some school districts have considered doing away with the "career/technology" diploma (formerly called the vocational diploma) and requiring all students to attain a "college prep" diploma just to graduate. Not everyone is going to college, wants to, or even needs to. When are people going to come to their senses? Assembly line education is a failure. 11:52:17 PM    comment []

OUR OPINION: EDITORIAL: Don't fail the poor in retooling HOPE The education policy adviser to Gov. Sonny Perdue provided the most succinct summation of what the HOPE scholarship has accomplished in Georgia since its inception 10 years ago. "Generally, HOPE hasn't influenced whether students in Georgia go to college, but rather where they go," said Perdue aide Ben Scafidi. I pretty much agree with this article. If the goal of the HOPE scholarship is to provide the means to attend college for those who otherwise might no be able to afford it, then why tighten it based on criteria that are going to likely weed those people out. Do middle-class Americans not understand what an advantage we have in opportunity and resources from infancy, as compared to the poor and those in rural areas? The HOPE indeed must and will be retooled, but let's consider it's intent, to help the financially disadvantaged to have the same opportunities as those who are afforded all the necessaries to make it to college and beyond, so that wheen it is retooled, that intent is not lost. As for the SAT, it should be obvious that it is not the way to go. Such standardized tests measure a very narrow aspect of aptitude or intelligence. They do very little to show all the skills and talents a student has, or to predict how one will perform in school or fare in life. In fact, even among the advantaged, there are many straight-A students who simply are not great test-takers. That has been well-documented. Why not begin to trust educators more on their ability to judge a students' ability? 11:31:49 PM    comment []