The world of standardized testing has been under fire for as long as anyone can remember. The idea is that a test will be able to accurately assess the learning that a class or a particular student has done over the past weeks or years. The idea is that with this information those in a position of power can see just how well a student is doing. There are plenty of colleges who look at the standard test score first before they will even consider an applicant for admission into their school.
Of course this doesn’t mean as much today as it did 50 years ago. These days the schools are doing what they can to change what these tests mean and why people take them. The first thing they have decided is that there will be no more just math and science. In the last few years the schools have wised up and created a place for a written portion of the test which is paramount to being able to judge the kind of student a college has on their hands. The ability to communicate is a big deal.
The other thing that is happening is grades are being weighed with much more importance than schools have ever given them. These grades say a lot about the school and the students since there is still a large portion of kids that are very bad test takers. So, the next time a test rolls around they know what it really means.