Throughout America the high school graduation rate is on the rise. This is great but are students actually learning what is important or are they slipping by. According to Daniel Kortez, a Harvard Professor, this might be the case. That is why we need to mandate a graduation test in North Dakota. What is the purpose of having the next generation graduate from high school but not have adequate knowledge to continue into the real world and in further education? The North Dakota Department of Public Instructions needs to mandate a standardized test which students must pass to demonstrate whether students are prepared for the real world, provide accurate comparison between sub groups, and show whether or not the current curriculum is effectively teaching students.
Throughout my life I have wanted to be a firefighter, police officer, doctor and a variety of other professions. However as I’ve grown older I have realized that some of these jobs are not realistic for me. Some of these professions take an education that is out of my capability. This is why North Dakota needs to mandate a graduation final. The statistics show that across america only 43 percent of students would be able to maintain a B average or better in college. That means that 57 percent of students failed to clear the college readiness benchmark (Usable). If mandatory graduation finals were in place we would be able to catch students who are not ready for college and more thoroughly prepare them for it and life beyond college. Some people may say that children need to take an interest in their own education. I agree with this but there is a point when we need to help students who are not growing in their education and this test will assist that. However this is not...
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...it would show if students are primed for the real world, provide an accurate comparison between students, and prove or disprove if the curriculum is adequately working. If the ND Department of Public Instruction does approve this graduation test we will benefit our current students and generations to come.
Works Cited
"Problems With Standardized Testing." Education.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
"Standardized Testing." About.com Teaching. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
"Standardized Tests - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
"Usable Knowledge: Measure for Measures: What Do Standardized Tests Really Tell Us about Students and Schools?" Usable Knowledge: Measure for Measures: What Do Standardized Tests Really Tell Us about Students and Schools? N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.