PAYING ATTENTION!
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A
Commentary on Education
Why
Poor Communities Hate the MCAS Test
The
MCAS test is a standard set up by the state department of
education to measure how much our children have learned
in the public school system. The test is designed to
assess whether or not Massachusetts students have
received the level of information they need to go on to
college or get a good paying job.
Poor communities like Lawrence are having a fit over the
standard, claiming that poor students, especially
minorities, are at an unfair advantage to fail the test.
What no one seems to be asking is why? Are Massachusetts
teachers and so-called leaders in poor communities trying
to tell us that minorities are not as smart as white kids
in Andover? They wouldn’t be trying to tell us that
poor kids are dumber than kids from middle income or
affluent families, would they? Well, that is exactly what
they are saying when they whine about testing being
unfair to "inner city" kids.
The truth is, Poor communities like Lawrence consistently
lower the standards in the schools, water down the
curriculum, and expect less of minorities and poor
children. That way, more kids can graduate and they can
point to their statistics of "success" when
seeking more state and federal money. Then along came the
MCAS test, which expects all students regardless of race
and background be tested with the same material to
measure the quality of education all Massachusetts
students should be receiving.
The very fact that poor and minority communities are
complaining about this shows some glaring and undeniable
facts. Minorities and poor children are not being taught
with the same expectation of success as their
white/middle class counter parts. We have spent so much
time (and millions of dollars) dumbing down our material
and our expectation of poor kids that they have lived up
to those expectations.
What’s funny here is the fact that teachers and
minority leaders are calling the MCAS racist when they
should be calling the school systems in Lawrence, New
Bedford, and Fall River Racist. Because the test only
discriminates against students who do not know the answer
to the questions. It is the responsibility of the school
system to provide that information so that students have
the knowledge needed to pass the MCAS and graduate. But
here we are, Lawrence politicians and teachers unions are
using the race card to stop the MCAS graduation
requirement because it makes THEM look bad.
Think about it, if a large number of kids can’t pass
the MCAS, this means teachers, administrators and school
boards are not doing their jobs. That’s not racism
it’s accountability. It is not a punishment for the
student who fails the test and must stay back a grade. It
is a second shot at obtaining the knowledge they need
before going out into the real world.
Shouldn’t a diploma mean something? Shouldn’t
it carry with it the expectation that the person who
holds it knows a certain amount of information after 12
years of public school education? I mean, a diploma is
suppose to be a certificate of achievement, not just
proof that you stayed in school until you were 18 years
old. But that is what Lawrence diplomas means. And I dare
to say that this is what most inner city diplomas mean.
The MCAS is a great way to streamline education in
Massachusetts. It is a tool for educators to see what is
not being accomplished in the classroom. And it supposes
that every kid who fails the test is a victim of a school
system which promised the parents that we would educate
them effectively enough get a job or go on to college.
Remember, only a racist believes that kids who are Black
or Hispanic can’t learn at the same rate as whites.
Only a racist believes that poverty and ethnicity are
barriers to the intellectual capabilities of a child. And
also remember that this is the very argument teachers
unions and so called leaders of poor communities use to
try and kill the MCAS test from being a staple in
education.
The MCAS is the greatest single thing to happen in
Massachusetts education since the inception of the
Department of Education. If the bigots in poor
communities succeed in watering it down so more
"minority" kids can pass it, or if they succeed
in stopping it all together, they are proving one thing.
They do not want to teach minority kids and refuse to
hold them to the expectation of excellence which is
expected in white middle class schools.
If that happens, minority kids will continue to fail at a
higher rate than whites. Poor kids will continue to live
up to the low expectations of public school educators.
And worst of all, another generation of Massachusetts
kids will be left behind.
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