Another example

In another example of lowering or removing educational standards, it has been reported that some states are eliminating high school exit exams. As observed in one report, "Critics think exit exams are unnecessary and place too much pressure on students -- ultimately decreasing graduation rates."

A major purpose of K-12 education should be, through practice, teaching our youth how to deal with the pressure of seeking accomplishment against established standards.  By the time students arrive at high school, it is time to instruct them that accomplishment matters, that standards need to be met, and that they are responsible for meeting those standards.

Surely, the standards must be reasonable, but challenging nonetheless.  The public that funds education through their taxes has a right to demand value in return.  Minimum standards are a reasonable mechanism for determining that value.

The public needs to be wary of comments like the above, because such comments come from activist union educators who push against any testing or system of evaluating student performance, because they want to ensure no link to teacher performance.  In part, their approach rests on no externally administered evaluation, so the teachers are self evaluated or are judged by union friendly administrators.

More important, though, than the union aspect in all of this is the damage done to our students.  Students in high school must learn to deal with the reasonable pressures of taking and passing tests.  After all, life itself is one series of tests after another.  In particular, if the students are not held to the standards, then they may be passed on to graduation without the ability to demonstrate they have mastered the subject matter.  For those who clamor that individual class grades demonstrate such mastery, it is argued that grades have become so diluted as to be effectively neutralized.  Otherwise, why are the SAT and ACT administered?

Eliminating exit exam testing is just another example of how union educators seek to eliminate any significant measurement of student achievement that can or could be used to gauge teacher effectiveness.  In pursuing this union goal, our students are left without the invaluable experience of dealing with the stress of performing up to standards.