Getting Testy

Well, once again they’ve changed the way schools measure the success of their students.

The headline in yesterday’s paper lamented the drop in scores for the educational institutions in our state.

Once upon a time, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills was the only game in town. It was supposed to give you an idea of the areas in which you excelled. (Or didn’t.) The test didn’t really count for anything. It was just a guide of your standing in the pupil pool. Me being the worrywart that I am, I would fret if one area or another dipped on the graphic summary. Usually, it was science where I lagged behind.

Fortunately, no one other than perhaps the school board paid much heed to these tests, and the results were soon forgotten.

Today, there is a lot of controversy associated with standardized testing. Teachers must now prepare their students to pass a nebulous test, rather than preparing them for life. So, facts are memorized and young brains are stuffed with knowledge that is soon forgotten.

And the cashiers at the grocery store still can’t figure out how to add $30 to the total when I want cash back.

I look out my window and wonder what kind of world the next generation will shape. Will they rely on technology and social media to do their thinking for them? Or will the pendulum swing the other way, and our children’s children question authority and think for themselves?

And, more importantly, who will teach them how?