In class we talked briefly about the ACT and PSAE that we all took last week. In many of my classes, students discussed their feelings about the PSAE, and the general consensus was that the non-ACT portion of the test was very simple. Students made fun of the basic addition questions (wedding photographer) on the math portion and the simple textual comprehension questions (is a hamper a bin or a washing machine?) in the reading section. My curiosity was peaked, however, when someone mentioned that the majority of students in Illinois do not pass the test. Unable to believe this, i did some searching to see what percentage of students passed and what a passing grade entailed. I was able to find an interesting statistic here, stating that 92% of New Trier students met or exceeded PSAE standards, a very impressive percentage, especially when you consider that it is likely that at least a small percentage of New Trier students make no effort to answer correctly because the test does not get sent to colleges and they are taking it the very next day after the very stressful ACT. As for the state average in illinois, according to data found here, last year 54% of Illinois passed PSAE reading, 52.7% passed math, and 52.4% passed science. While this data does not show that the majority of Illinois fails the PSAE, it does show that there is a great difference between the scores at New Trier and the state average.
I think a lot of New Trier students fail to see this truth. I have heard so many comments about this test, and have even added in some remarks myself. But if we knew how difficult this test could be to some students, or how many hours of class time teachers took to prepare for this test; we would never say something offensive. This is a good opportunity for New Trier students to understand how lucky we are and how not-normal we are. Again, the North Shore just isn't America.
ReplyDeleteIan-
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that you researched further into the topic, because I agree, I have heard a lot of New Trier students, and even maybe a time or two myself, poke fun of the test, like "oh that was a joke" or what not. We should instead realize that everyone has different thoughts about it, and it may be easier or harder for some people. We should appreciate the education we have at New Trier, and realize that some people might not have access to such education.
And just as a side note, kind of random, but I was talking with my friend who goes to Oak Park River Forest High School about the test, and she said that her school now puts the student's score of the test on their transcript, as an incentive to try harder or do well. Apparently, her teachers printed off a list of the test results of high schools in IL, and New Trier was number 1, and Oak Park was 68...