I was listening to one of my favorite local talk show host the other day, Joe Pags, and his topic of the day revolved around the TAKS test. This test has caused a lot of controversy in the state of Texas because of its unrelenting overriding power over a student’s day-to-day academic success. What am I talking about? No matter how good your grades are, the “Almighty” TAKS test can keep you from your much earned diploma. Hypothetically speaking, a Valedictorian could be prevented from graduating simply because they failed the TAKS test even though they are ranked number one in their class. Is this fair? Is it better for a student to perform and master their subject matter and content areas, or is more important for them to measure up against their peers.

The TAKS test in reality, is simply a popularity contest of a different kind. It puts district against district, school against school, principle against principle and teacher against teacher. The student gets caught in the middle. It has become, as many things in America are, a battle to gain more dollars. With the institution of financial incentives for better test scores, although the way they were achieved is rarely scrutinized, it has become a contest. Promotions are given off of these arbitrary scores that can allow a C student to graduate and an honors student to be held back. This sounds like it is ridiculous, because it is. If a student meets their academic requirements, why should one stupid arbitrary, unbalanced test determine if they graduate? The test measures how a student compares to their peers, it has nothing to do with personal achievement.

As I watched students with promising futures graduate from high school today, I was reminded of what is important. It is important for a student to be academically well rounded. It is important for a student to be able to survive in the “real world.” This means they need a real education. Teachers should be allowed to do what they are paid to do…teach. I have a lot of friends and family members in the educational system and many of them have the same complaint. They signed up to teach and educate young minds, not to teach a test. More students are graduating and failing out of college because when they get there they realize that all they learned was a test…

The TAKS is a mess, not a test and the legislation and proposals to do away with it need to be passed. Every concerned citizen that cares about the future of this country should lobby and harass their legislators to force the educational system to do what it was designed for…prepare students to become productive members of society. The standard of a students academic achievement needs to be measured like it used to be…with grades and graduation!