One teen’s standardized testing horror story (and where it will lead)

[silhouete2]

29. Expecting to write essays and developing writing skills are NOT mutually exclusive.

(Sorry, but they aren't. Having to write essays, doesn't mean he is learning how to write an essay. By the description, the person is saying all they were required to do is write essays so they could pass the AP exam. Now, when I took AP classes in my youth, we actually learned AP level work--analyzing/critical thinking development and delving deeper into the material--which was synonymous with college level expectations back in my day. I took AP English--and we prepared to take the exam by learning the course material and critical thinking skills , which in turn would give us the skills necessary in order to pass the AP exam. There was a few weeks of prep for the test, but the majority of my AP classwork was in doing some critical thinking/analytic work. We did writing--but we were also taught HOW to do a critical writing piece--critiqued by the teacher and our peers--not just told to write for writing sake.

I am an educator myself, and I see this kind of "teach to the test" mentality. AP classes were NEVER designed to prepare you for the AP test. They were designed to give us a taste of what things were going to be like in college--thus the coursework was harder than an average high school class. The guy has a point--if all they are doing in the AP class is preparing for the AP test--that is a waste of time and energy, because they were never designed for that. The problem I see in students nowadays, thanks to NCLB--is that we have abandoned critical thinking skills in favor of spitting our correct answers on a test --all multiple choice and never requiring the student to explain how they know they are right. That is why universities around the country complain bitterly that students are NOT ready for the demands of college--where it isn't just about a test. It is about thinking. The institution of Common Core standards will help in this department. We can't have it both ways in this country--we compare ourselves to Asian countries, yet we hold originality and critical thinking in high esteem in our business and advanced schooling. Our school system ---our textbooks we are required to teach "with fidelity" do not address the higher thinking, nor ability to do critical analysis both orally and in writing. That is why we will fall farther and farther behind--because we are educating a generation who cannot think critically. I'm sure they won't be very happy we did that to them, either.

(I've lurked here for over a year and finally decided to respond to a post)