Entitled “Education System,” this cartoon depicts the method
of schooling in the United States as a one-size-fits-all, unaccommodating
system. Each animal represents a human student, and it is obvious that each one
has different strengths and abilities. Yet, all of them are obligated to accomplish
the same task––just as in each state, all American public school students are
required to take the same standardized tests. These tests don’t acknowledge the
students’ different learning styles or test-taking methods. Student A may be a
fast test-taker, who can easily skim a text and extract all of the information
necessary to answer the corresponding questions. Contrariwise, Student B may
not be able to comprehend a text without reading the entire passage. Due to the
strict timing of tests like the SATs, it is expected that Student A would
perform much better than Student B. But does that mean that Student B is
unintelligent? In “The case against standardized testing: raising the scores,
ruining the schools,” Alfie Kohn explains that the current system of testing
students punishes those who take more time to learn. The exam is supposed to be
testing reading comprehension, not speed. If he was given more time, Student B could
easily have received the same score as Student A.
In regard to the cartoon, these two students parallel the
bird and the monkey. Like Student A, the bird can speedily perform her given
task of climbing the tree; she can simply hop from branch to branch or fly
directly to the top. It may take slightly longer for the monkey (as it would
Student B) to swing to the top, but the task would still be accomplished. Should
the monkey, who can achieve the same potential as the bird, be punished for
needing extra time? While it is unrealistic to expect public schools in the
United States to design a test that meets each individual student’s needs, one
single test for every student is unacceptable. It is not “fair” to gauge the
intelligence of a population of individuals as if all of their brains are wired
exactly the same. The monkey is not any less capable of climbing a tree, nor is
Student B any less capable of comprehending a text.
Shannon, just as you brought up some very convincing points in your other post I commented on, you do the same here. You use the image very well to compare “Student A” to “Student B,” and the monkey to the bird. Also, after reading the post through multiple times, I see no blatant grammatical errors that take away from the post and your argument.
ReplyDeleteI do want to bring up though where you say, “The exam is supposed to be testing reading comprehension, not speed.” However, the SATs are not required to graduate from public schooling, so I believe their purpose is to separate those who know the material the best and fastest from the rest. But, I do agree that on state administered tests it should not matter how long it takes you, and the MCAS do give you as long as you need. Also, you bring up a good point that it is unreasonable to make thousands of different tests for each student, but they do make an effort to make multiple tests, or the MCAS does at least. Whether this is for purposes of preventing cheating or making easier tests than others, I do not know, but I would side with the cheating aspect.
The public education system will never be perfect, and I think you bring up many good points that are realistic for reform. Overall, this was a good post.
Shannon, looks good. I have two comments.
ReplyDeleteFirst, there is some validity to Eric's comment about the SATs. I was surprised you chose that specific test. I don't disagree with your conclusion, but I think the issue is a bit different. In this case, it is the colleges that are doing the discriminating. You need to account for that somehow.
Second, be careful about your last few sentences. Obviously, you will have an opinion. Your thesis is your opinion. However, in this type of paper, you will probably want to avoid editorial-like comments. Instead of using words like "unacceptable" and "not 'fair,'" you will want to actually quantify or present the problem. This is not a question of hiding your opinion, it's about learning how to present it correctly. See me if you have questions about this.