Many successful people can t do math or can t write a good essay. Yet, they succeed because they compensate by being good at other things. The case for MORE tests To be fair to kids, we must identify younger children who will need help to pass the graduation test. Long before denying a student a diploma, educators must offer the child every opportunity to make the cut. . . . Vouchers for summer school and after-school instruction, for example, would enable families to choose extra help for their children from the school, or from specialized sources.
All kids can learn.
Yet, at present, kids who are white and wealthy do relatively well on all the tests we use. Other kids do not always do so well. This is a serious challenge to the education establishment. The use of any test as a graduation requirement makes it even more so. The gap between groups is closing, but not fast enough.