Student Declaration Over Exit Exam Ruling

"The State of California is acting irresponsibly because they are negatively affecting the emotional well-being of its students."

Yeah, okay. Heaven forbid that students' egos get bruised because they actually fail at something! Your argument pretty much lost all credibility with this laughable statement. So your feelings are hurt because you failed the exam and can't get your diploma? Deal with it and don't be such an entitled, spoiled baby. There was a time when schools were actually concerned with making sure that kids actually knew the material, rather than pandering to issues of self-esteem and whether or not their pwecious Bobby Joe and Susan had their feeeeelings hurt.

YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO A DIPLOMA JUST FOR SHOWING UP. A diploma signifies achievement. And anybody who uses high grades as an indicator of high achievement does not have much in the way of critical thinking skills because, hello? Grade inflation? Yeah.

You only need to get a stupid 55% on the math portion of the test to pass, and 60% on the English portion. Those are the equivalents of F and D grades, respectively. Plus, the math portion only tests algebra and basic geometry, while English only tests up to the tenth grade. If you cannot get 55% on an algebra test, you do not deserve to graduate.

So you go to a poor, understaffed school? Well, sucks to be you. People have different advantages and disadvantages in life. Heck, some people are born more intelligent than others and therefore do not need to work as hard to get good grades in school. Hmmm...is that unfair? Should we start making allowances for kids who aren't as intelligent? You need to start taking a bit more responsibility for the stuff in your life. If you go to a bad school, buy a workbook and study it on your own. That's how I managed to learn algebra and geometry before it was taught in my school.

No wonder America is falling further and further behind in the world when it comes to different disciplines. American kids are too proud and conceited as it is, we don't need to pander to their self-esteem anymore. Good grief, I haven't touched a math book since I went to college (in 2001), and I got a perfect score on the online practice tests. THERE IS NO EXCUSE.

a year ago i was knee-jerkedly against the exit exam. now, after a first full-year of teaching, i'm more inclined to support it.

i believe that amends, in the form of alternative and modified assessments, should be made for english-language learners and students with learning disabilities; however, the idea that testing for eighth grade proficiency is unjust for the bulk of high school students seems pretty silly to me. the fact is that many many students in american schools today make virtually no effort. you should see the GARBAGE many pass off as school "work." honestly i've had the urge on more than one occasion to vomit looking at some of my students' work. at the risk of sounding mean, i find some solace in the fact that some of these clowns will fail the exit exam.

These are serious questions which deserve serious answers. Democrat O'Connell is no different from the Republican Schwarzenegger, and in fact, in his ballot statement, he states he enjoys working with Democrats and Republicans. He does not enjoy Reds or Greens because, of course, the Democrats exist to keep the Reds and Greens out of office. There is a Green socialist running against O'Connell for Superintendent of Schools, Sarah Knopp. Please see the website, http://www.sarah4super.org and her candidate statement on page 44 of the California voter handbook for the June 6, 2006 election. This office is a non-partisan office, so we all get to vote for someone for this office, regardless of party or no party.

The California Supreme Court has the authority to make quick decisions, and did so. The courts in general are an arm of the capitalist class and thus it was no surprise that they responded in favor of the captialist class' program to destroy a major achievement of labor, the public school system, which includes standardized tests. The only time the courts rule in favor of the workingclass is if there is a strong enough labor movement to threaten the profits of the capitalist class. We saw a good beginning of such a movement with the May Day General Strike. We need much more of that and far more labor organizing.

I was surprised at Judge Freedman's positive ruling for the workingclass and against the tests. His reasoning indicated that he still remembered basic concepts: Balancing the harm to the state in rewarding a diploma to students who passed their courses but did not pass the exit exam, which is zero, and the harm to the students, which is considerable if denied a diploma, he decided that the exit exam should be tossed. This is a legalistic version of the old question: Who benefits?

At the lower court level, there are still some judges who are not bought and paid for, especially in areas where labor has some strength, such as the Bay Area. The Court of Appeal, which plans to hear this case in July (and which is normally the first level of appeal from the superior court), and the Supreme Court, are closer to being an arm of the capitalist class, and can only be influenced by a much stronger labor movement.

The capitalist class is only concerned with maximizing profits, and the 25% of the students who are receiving an adequate education are sufficient for the current bankrupt, backward, dying system's needs. It will take a labor movement capable of conducting a general strike that will eliminate the private profit system to guarantee top quality free education to all from age 3 through and including university.

As to the two previous comments: (1) I have a college degree and I could not pass the algebra test online or on paper as I have not used algebra since the day of my final exam in algebra decades ago. Of course, knowledge of algebra, geometry and trignometry, as well as basic biology, chemistry and physics, all of which should be taught in 6th, 7th and 8th grades respectively as they are in much of the world (not in high school as is done in the backward USA), is considered basic education. Those of us who will not pursue science/math careers should at least know what these basic courses are. However, I can assure everyone that most of the legislators and most of the voters (most of whom are over 40) cannot pass any test that has anything more than basic arithmetic as most of us never use anything more than basic arithmetic.

(2) Anyone who uses lower case i for I is clearly not educated and I suspect that statement is totally contrived. The anti-communist term "commie teacher" is further indication that this statement is by a friend of the capitalist class.

(3) The diploma is not for just showing up; it is a certificate of completion and means a great deal to students who managed to stay out of gangs and stayed in school. It is also needed to get a job. The students of today should understand that most voters never experienced gangs in their communities, and that includes those of us from and still among the workingclass. This problem with gangs on the large scale that exists now did not exist when most voters over age 40 were in school, and most voters are over age 40.

(4) Most of the workingclass schools do not offer the courses nor have the credentialied teachers for these courses needed to pass this exit exam. Thus, most workingclass students do not have an equal chance to pass this exit exam.

Most voters are not only over age 40; most are property owners who make over $100,000 a year and most are white. Most of the workingclass, those of us who sell our labor for less than $76,000 a year, never vote. Part of it is lack of education; about 50% of US adults are functionally illiterate, with about half of those unable to read the newspaper or complete a job application, and the other half cannot do much better than that.

In the coming California primary, perhaps 8 million out of 27 million adults will vote, which means the workingclass, for the most part, will not vote. A high voter turnout is considered to be 12.5 million votes, as we had in the presidential November 2004 election, a little less than half the adults in California. Nationwide, about 50% of the adults never vote, and that is mostly the workingclass.

As to the drop out rate, not only are uneducated students cheap labor, but they are also cannon fodder for the endless wars of capitalism, and prison fodder for the prison industrial complex.

Clearly, if someone is passing the courses but fails the exit exam, something is wrong with the test, and such people should be offered an alternative to this exit exam. Better yet, all schools should be three 15 week sessions per year, with receiving at least a C in the final exam of each course (or if before 5th grade, each session), being sufficient to pass that course or that session. All the required courses across the nation should be the same for each age group, and all schools should have the same top quality teachers, textbooks and physical environment. All schools should be public and free; there should be no private or parochial schools allowed at any level.

You need to tie this fight against this high stakes testing to the labor movement we witnessed on May Day. The teachers certainly need higher pay; their pay should start at $80,000 a year as their job requires a college degree. The schools need more supplies and better physical structure. The money should come from shutting down the prison and death penalty systems and raising the income taxes on the rich, those who make over $200,000 a year.

And when you do voter registration this year, urge the workingclass to register socialist, Peace & Freedom Party, and to never vote for any Democrat or any Republican at any level of office. See http://www.peaceandfreedom2006.org

Remember, when it comes to the courts and elections, both only reflect the class struggle that has preceded your lawsuit and your election. We have not seen much labor organizing, and that is why we have these expensive tests, making the testing companies richer, gangs in the workingclass communities, low wages, growing number of prisons, the death penalty, and endless wars.

We need a labor movement to get rid of all these standardized tests.