Today while reading the morning newspaper, I learned a little piece of good news: Washington state has the highest average SAT scores in the nation for the fourth year in a row. In addition, more than half of all eligible Washington state students took the test, a statistic that usually leads to lower test scores.
I've never been a huge advocate of standardized test scores being the sole indicator of success, but I do believe that Washington's accomplishment is significant. There has to be some kind of metric to indicate whether or not students are learning what's supposed to be learned and whether or not teachers are effective in the classroom. Multiple factors should be brought into the equation, but I believe that these test results are a piece of the puzzle in building a better education system in our state. Sure, there are students who learn creatively and don't do well on tests, but the bottom line is that these tests measure the basics of what students should know. And being a "creative learner" who can't pass a standardized test won't get you too far in life...unless you're one of those one in a million artistic talents.
Do we still have a long way to go? Of course we do. But I'll take every little gain because they all matter to that child sitting in that desk.
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