Schools short, or MCAS?

As usual, it can be debated as to whether the mediocre performance of state and county schools in meeting federal standards tells us more about the MCAS tests the schools are primarily judged on than it does the schools themselves.

[Prove me wrong]

Gee, is there something wrong with our schools?

[Dave HARDING]

I don't care how are schools fare on the MCAS exams. My question is, how do our kids do vs the kids in China, India, etc.? This is where the real competition lies.
Are we preparing our kids to compete in a global economy or are we preparing them to perform on a standardized test that evaluates 20th century standards in a 21st century world? When we really require our kids to be knowledgeable in math, science, and technology, then we'll be on the right track.

[Adam Smit]

Dave HARDING wrote:

I don't care how are schools fare on the MCAS exams. My question is, how do our kids do vs the kids in China, India, etc.? This is where the real competition lies.
Are we preparing our kids to compete in a global economy or are we preparing them to perform on a standardized test that evaluates 20th century standards in a 21st century world? When we really require our kids to be knowledgeable in math, science, and technology, then we'll be on the right track.

Dumb, dumb, dumb. Math and science are important but not every kid is meant to be a mathmatician or scientist. The world needs a plethora of talents besides those. American kids can and will compete if the incentives are right. To provide those incentives you need to protect the free enterprise system. To protect that, you need voters who understand economics and history. But more than that, you need pleasurable pursuits to be purchased, ie. incentives. For that you need talent in the arts, athletics etc. In short, we need freedom a helluva lot more than we need any particular skill set.

[SAL]

The worst thing is the UNIONS-- if they didn't like or get whatever they wanted, they "worked" in very mean & nasty ways-- not even care what the children needed and wanted.

Many schools were sent to boarding schools,
others teachers schools were paid for by parents.

[Berkshire Eye]

Do you realize that children with special needs are required to take the MCAS test also. Some of these children that are in there teens only have a 5yr level. Yet the state still makes them take the test. There is a big problem with this picture.

[pat the painter]

It's not the MCAS that has to go, but the Department of Education, where common sense is so uncommon.

[Special Ed]

it's just a test... I think i'd want to know where my child stood against fellow students