Test scores only measure memory, not students’ worth

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

-Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011)

If we’ve recognized that test scores don’t define a student’s academic worth, why do we continue to base college entrance on higher ACT and SAT scores? Why is intelligence measured by a number? Why isn’t it measured by the amount of hard work and perseverance and creative thinking a student initiates? If flaws are widely recognized in the American education system, why hasn’t anything changed?

Test scores are a magnificent way of challenging a student’s memorization skills and their ability to obtain and retain information but they most certainly should not determine an individual’s future.

Since the 1950s, the United States has recognized the fact that they are significantly behind other countries in relation to academic performance. Competitors include Russia, China and Japan, all of whose students statistically excel in the core subjects.

While core subjects are important, if a student wants to become a musician, why should they have to endure one or more years of finding the average acceleration and velocity of an object moving towards the sun?

Another problem is the fact that, in America, teenagers absolutely dread going to school each morning and are completely miserable nearly every evening when they come home. School should not be considered a ‘prison.’ It should be a place of knowledge and possibility and prospect.

What can we, as a country, do to improve our education system?

We can recognize that we are part of a structure meant to keep us organized and meant to limit us and give students a gateway to the middle class. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this path; students and guardians need to realize that there are other options.

Another idea is to promote individualism and self-confidence in students. If one receives a ‘bad grade’ on a test or important paper, it’s as if that score determines their self-worth. And one of the most important parts of growing up is that teenagers express themselves and be who they want to be without the likelihood of oppression.

As high school students are the future of America, we are attempting to discover who are and make a rational decision about our future with limited preparation. The American education system forces us down a specific path without the chance of looking elsewhere.

Personally, college is a major issue for me. In today’s society, it is only possible to find a job if you have a college diploma and/or a certain degree. College is not a debate for me. I have to go to college, which I have no problem with because I love to learn, but if a painter or writer doesn’t necessarily need what a college or university has to offer and they especially don’t want to pay for it, they shouldn’t have be shamed for their decision.

As a student, I firmly believe that the purpose of school should not be to do enormous amounts of homework every night, study for college entrance exams and placement tests that try to tell me who I am and what I should do. As a student, I want every other student to know that they have a choice. Those choices might have reparations but if it’s what you want to do and where you want to go, so be it. Our destiny is not determined by our high school GPA or our ACT score. We are in charge of our own fate. The sooner students realize that, the better.