Against the Test: 11th Grade Socratic Seminar

A couple of days ago I told you about the Socratic Seminar my juniors were taking part in. It was an overwhelming success!

Students who are usually shy & reserved were outspoken and passionate on the topic of standardized testing.

Here are a few paraphrased quotables from today's class:

"I've gone to four different high schools. The last school that I went to was mostly white kids. They were learning things in 7th grade that we are just learning now! How can the ACT test all of us on the same thing? It's biased."

"The ACT does not predict anything about how someone is going to do in life. Where in life are you timed to do a math problem?"

"I think the ACT should be a tool that helps you instead of a tool that hurts you. If everyone has to take it, it should give information about what you have to improve. Instead, it determines how far you'll go in life."

"How are schools in cities with little money supposed to compete with schools in the suburbs with tons of money?"

"ACT prep only gives you strategies to take the test. It doesn't make you smarter."

"I know so many creative & smart kids at this school who lose self-esteem over doing bad on a standardized test. It makes them not want to come to school."

"Some kids take school & academics very seriously and when you do bad on these tests, you lose self-esteem...you feel stupid."

And, maybe the saddest quote of the day:

"What's the point of taking music, art, and psychology if it's not going to be on the ACT?"

I'll leave you with one more quotation:

"Mr. B, we can talk about this for a year. What's the point of talking about it if nothing happens? How can we do something about it?"

In the coming weeks, we will begin a project addressing the issues posed in Wednesday's Socratic Seminar. Stay tuned...