Academic Argument

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The High School Graduation Exam is currently being implemented in 24 states and more than half of the high school students across the country have to pass them in order to graduate. The current test, while it is more through than the minimum competency tests that were used in the 80s, still lacks many of the necessary fundamentals that colleges as well as employers are looking for. "The exit exams in these states measure some of the skills essential for college and workplace success, but a significant number of those skills go largely unmeasured"(Achieve, 2013). With the current "No Child Left Behind Act" schools are now being forced to prove that the diploma received at graduation actually has value in the real world by proving that these students are able to meet academic proficiency thresholds. While some people question the use of tests as part of states’ graduation requirements, the need for higher high school exit expectations should be clear because the cost of poor high school preparation to students and states is so clear. "While roughly three-quarters of high school graduates pursue postsecondary education within two years of earning a diploma, fewer than half ever earn a degree" (Achieve, 2013). Opponents of high school exit exams often complain that testing requirements force already low graduation rates downward. "They argue that raising the bar for graduation forces many students to drop out. Critics see it as fundamentally unfair to deny diplomas to students who have successfully completed thirteen years of schooling" (Greene & Winters, 2004). There are many solutions to these problems, but none of them are easily implemented. Each area of testing should be heavily modified. In math, for example, there is a str... ... middle of paper ... ...ure that important decisions that will ultimately affect the students' life are not based solely on a single score. It is also important to set long-term and short-term goals for each school to reach. Each school would have its own set schedule for its short-term goals, but the long-term goals for all schools would be the same. This would allow for the smaller schools with less funding reaching these goals in a reasonable amount of time. Works Cited Fair test. (2007, Dec. 07). The Dangerous Consequences of High-Stakes Standardized Testing. Retrieved from http://fairtest.org/facts/Dangerous%20Consequences.html Achieve. (2013). Test Graduation - Final Report. Retrieved from http://www.achieve.org/files/TestGraduation-FinalReport.pdf Greene, J., & Winters, M. (2004, May). Pushed Out or Pulled Up?. Retrieved from http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_05.htm

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