Global Achievement Gap: Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Testing 1, 2, 3
No Child Left Behind has students preparing for these tests starting in 2nd grade.  If all these tests are not passed by 12th grade students do not graduate reguardless if they have taken all the required classes and received good grades following.  Wagner showed examples of tests given by states and explained what he thought of them.  For both tests most individuals now would fail the math part.  How many actually use algebra on a daily basis?  Obviously there are some professions where algebra is used regularly but for the rest of us its never used.  So why is it on these tests?
Wagner asked college students questions about their high school experience and the answers they found are exactly how I feel as well.  We didn't learn anything in high school to prepare us for our college courses.  We basically start all over in the learning process once you walk into your first lecture hall.  Its not such a bad thing because you don't remember much from high school because you are just memorizing things for tests then forgetting them weeks later.  The students were then asked about how they could have bettered their time in the high school class room.  Most said that there would be more time spent on writing, research skills, time management, and working with students in groups.  I work with fellow group members on a weekly basis, I never did that in high school once.  It sucks attending college having to learn all these skills on your own and usually failing the first few times.  This causes us to be less motivated in the long run.  Of course its all going to run you down and there is so much going on that motivation is going down farther and farther from earlier years.