State and National Exams - Are they Needed?

Some interesting articles have appeared lately regarding the inflation of grades as compared to state and national exams. Students seem to be passing in subjects without receiving the competencies one would expect. On February 23, 2007, in an article written by Amit R. Paley, a staff writer for the Washington Post, Kati Haycock, president of the Education Trust is quoted as saying “The core problem is that course titles don’t really signal what is taught in the course and grades don’t signal what a kid has learned.” This is becoming a major problem and should be of concern to educators as well as those who fund public education. It is important to demonstrate why it is essential for those in need of accountability at the state and national levels should use a test that all students take to comparatively measure the outcomes. Because grading varies from teacher to teacher and from school to school, this is necessary for comparability. Do you agree?

Washington Post