Editor’s note: The author is a junior at Kaua‘i High School. LIHU‘E — Imagine participating in a race where everyone was exactly like you; every racer had the same athletic ability, training and motivation. The likelihood of a tie would
Editor’s note: The author is a junior at Kaua‘i High School.
LIHU‘E — Imagine participating in a race where everyone was exactly like you; every racer had the same athletic ability, training and motivation. The likelihood of a tie would be apparent to even the most humble of spectators.
Now imagine the same race, with the same contestants, but now several contestants are allowed to start five minutes earlier. The race would clearly result with the victory of the contestants that are given the five-minute advantage. Their victory, however, is one that can only be credited to their head start, not to their superior athletic ability.
This fictional race example is synonymous to the No Child Left Behind testing, illustrating that tests should be identical in material and rigor for one to draw accurate conclusions about its takers’ performances.
For years, states have been allowed to adopt their own core standards and assessment systems. This freedom has drawbacks, however, as it leads to a great deal of variability in regards to the content that is taught and to the tests’ rigor.
Ultimately, state tests and standards that differ from state to state are like a race where several contestants are given an unfair advantage. Hawai‘i, although usually ranked low when compared to other states, has a state test that is harder than some of the states that are ranked higher.
Fortunately, the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices in conjunction with educators, content experts and researchers, have developed Common Core State Standards. These standards are aligned with college and common work expectations to develop a higher level of cognitive skills.
The Common Core Standards will ensure that the students are exposed to the same content no matter where they live. As of now, 48 states, two territories and the District of Columbia have agreed to adopt the Common Core Standards.
Eventually, there will be a Common Core Assessment that will systematically measure and allow each state to be compared against a common ruler. It will be then, and only then, when we can truly tell where Hawai‘i’s students stand.
Given that No Child Left Behind has been in place since 2001, it is about time common sense prevails.
