GPFontaine wrote:

Dr. Jeebus wrote: GPFontaine wrote: You should have to pass 4 years of English and Math in HS to get a diploma, the rest is great, but fluff in comparison. Except that without a standardized test, there's no way to tell if you actually deserved to pass those 4 years of English and Math. Kids get shuffled through the system without learning shit, and they don't deserve diplomas. What percentage of kids do you really think leaves high school without being able to read/write or do algebra? Personally I think that it is damn close to 1/1000. Perhaps this differs in each section of the country. But if kids are leaving school without these skills... Well that is a huge failure, but it shouldn't require a standardized test to be able to catch it. Now, are all diplomas equal? No. Are all GPA's equal? No. A standardized test would show how they compare... but it would also fuck anyone who happened to be bad at that "style" of test.

I see what your saying here. And certainly people learn differently. I am much more hands on than memorizing text because I feel that having an understanding of why, makes you less likely to ever forget how. However, nothing is fair, and certain people are going to excel more at certain things than others. A standardized test is a generic qualifier, that's for sure, but MOST people can take a test, and it sucks that some people, whether they be dyslexic or whatever, have a harder time, but thats just how life is unfortunately. We're not all Einstein either, but these days parents and teachers tell their dumb kids that they are. I understand it is a bigger thing over on the east coast, but I personally think that we need to have more trade schools now. Everyone thinks they're going to go to college and be an attorny or marketing director. What the fuck is wrong with being a mechanic? A Carpenter? These industries are in desperate need of new people, but nobody learns these skills at school, because of legal issues such as getting sued and lack of interest. When did everyone think the deserve a so called glamorous job? These tradeskill workers are just as important to a society as an attorney or whatever.