Of even greater concern is the message Whitney Young's emphasis on test scores gives to students. Pressuring everybody to do well on the tests makes people think that the tests are much more important than they really are. You, the administration and the school board, are telling us that these are the skills we should be pursuing. Free thought and originality seem to have no place in the tests that you so proudly parade as proof of Whitney Young's and the Chicago Public School system's excellence. The consequences of this foolhardy stress on test scores reach into the self-confidence of many.
Students know the administration of the school is preoccupied with test scores.
Many of our academic teachers have some sort of test score right next to our names on the roster. High-achieving students compare test scores with each other and feel they have to compete to see who can get the best mark. Sometimes it seems people live up to the expectations placed on them. If you continue to tell students who do not score well on tests that their scores show they are deficient, they will continue to do poorly on the tests and often in their classes as well. It is a vicious spiral perpetuated by the administration of this school and the school system.