Well, maybe nothing's changed. Beginning in 2003, all students must pass the 10th-grade MCAS test to graduate from high school. Last year's eighth-graders will be the first group of students affected by the new requirement. The Board of Education has not yet decided what will constitute a passing score, although only English and math are likely to be included. With 40 percent of eighth-graders failing the 1999 math MCAS, for example, educators have a big preparation job ahead.
Schools can and do teach so much more.
We asked a variety of people what schools should be teaching their students, and what skills students most critically need after 12 years of public education. Classical curriculum has stood the test of time While most people who know me think I have an opinion on almost everything, there are clearly some subjects on which my opinion is not substantiated by a strong knowledge base. Still, The Standard-Times has asked for my opinion on the subject of basic education and what I think the schools should be teaching. My assumption is that my opinion is solicited with regard to educational requirements of a future work force. The above disclaimer notwithstanding, it is a futile effort based on bureaucratic self-imposed mandates to try to guess the next best technology.