Mandated ACT Testing?

Jefferson County High School received their scores this week for the Class of 2013 ACT, which all juniors take in the spring. I find that rather astounding. The State of Tennessee pays for every student to take the ACT test, regardless of their post high school plans. I. personally, do no subscribe to the notion that the ACT points to career readiness. It is and always has been a college readiness exam. ACT is the acronym for American College Test and it is one of two accepted standardized tests that measures college readiness. I have no idea how much the State of Tennessee pays for every junior in the State of Tennessee to take the ACT but I can guess that the number would be astounding. It costs an individual student $36.50 to take the test. Of course, there are a la carte add ons that can really jack the price up but every individual that is not eligible for a wavier pays the $36 dollars. Even if the State gets a group rate, we are talking about serious money that could go elsewhere. Instead, students that have absolutely no intention of attending college are forced into taking a painfully long test. In reality, students that are college bound take classes that prepare them for the ACT. Students that are work force bound take classes that move them toward that goal. One is in no way better than the other, but only one group is prepared for and benefits from the ACT. What a senseless use of resources. First of all, many college bound students dual enroll in college level classes during their junior and senior years of high school and therefore take the ACT test at the end of their sophomore year or fall of their junior year. They don’t need to take the test in the spring of their junior year because they have already taken it. Again, a waste of money and time for the State, school and student. The fact is that many educators agree that this State mandated testing is silly and useless. There is also fallout from requiring every student in Tennessee to take the ACT. Other States do not adhere to the same requirements and allow only college bound students to take the ACT. When Tennessee’s scores are compared to states with selected testing, we do not stack up favorably. This impacts our college bound students when they apply to college because of educational rankings. It also impacts competitive scholarships and it is not reflective of our educational system. I remember when my son was going through the testing process for college admission. He and several of his friends took the test in June, following their sophomore year at JCHS. He was fortunate and scored well on the exam. Later in his high school career he elected to take the ASVAB test, which measures developed abilities and predicts college and career readiness. It is largely used by the military to determine candidate’s strengths. He did well on the portion of the test that mimicked the ACT but was totally clueless about the mechanical part of the test. The guy sitting next to him struggled with the ACT but was a wiz on the mechanics portion of the ASVAB. Different strengths and different paths-neither one better than the other-so why are we forcing the ACT on students who will never benefit from the test. It costs money. It costs time. And, frankly, it is a little insulting to those that have chosen another path. We need to remember that there is more than one way to the top of the mountain and it is not the place of the State to give one more importance than the other. The current State administration is big on education reform. I suggest that we employ that voucher system that some are touting and give test vouchers to students. Let those that will benefit from the testing determine which, if any, test that they want to take and when they want to take it. This is just one more example of how out of touch our legislators and State Departments are with the real, functioning world. High School students take End of Course Exams that provide the State with information on progress, for the student, teacher and school. The only people benefiting from the State wide mandate for every student to take the ACT test is the folks at ACT. Just another example of too much money, too much time and too little thought. That is one hat trick that we seem to have perfected.