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On The Soapbox
from the editor

Taking Tests 

Encourages CHEATING??

   I am willing to listen to a good reason that would explain why President Bush's plan to test schools and school children is a bad idea.
  So far I have heard nothing but stupid replies.  
  Bush's proposal is to test schools and it's students to measure whether or not the students are learning.  If a school is shown to have no progress in three years it would lose federal grant money which would be turned over to the parents in order to fund private schooling for their children.
  The president stated Wednesday in Ohio "..As far as I'm concerned, if a district receives federal money and that school won't teach and won't change; Then at some point and time that money should not go to continue to fuel failure..."
  Critics of this plan say that the testing would lead to an increase in cheating and will teach students how to pass a test in stead of what they need to learn for an education.
   My first question is how do you cheat on a test when you don't know what the questions will be? Not to mention the fact that it isn't a pass or fail test. It's a measurement test. A general test used to measure what you have learned. The ones I have taken in my lifetime have always been been easier than a regular test because there was no pressure of the chance of failure.  Unless of course the school has not done it's job of teaching their students there should be nothing to worry about.  If my daughters school was proven to be unable to teach, then I want to take my child to a place where she could be taught. 
    This brings me to the second part.  Critics argue that testing children only teaches them how to pass a test.  What kind of stupid idiot came up with that?  Testing a child does not teach anything at all.  It measures.  It's a ruler.  Teaching a student is what teaches a student.  If students have been taught then the test that measures their learning will show that they have been taught.  It's the lost art of logic, people. 
    Allow me to impart to you the definition of the words "teach",  "learn", and "test".

 teach: to cause to know something  :to act as a teacher
 learn: to gain knowledge, understanding, or skill by study or experience
 test: to put to test  :try, examine

GETTING OFF THE SOAPBOX
ROBIN HOOD


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