New school tests require thinking, writing

Just as students in Cape Henlopen schools head back to class, state education officials released the results of the first statewide tests based on the latest educational standards.

In a time when politics find a way to divide us over nearly everything, Common Core standards have been attacked as too much federal interference in state and local decision-making. Yet parents whose children are faced with meeting Common Core standards are applauding at least one aspect of the test: It is not all multiple choice.

Common Core standards and the new, Smarter Balanced test require students to type in and explain some of their answers.

Because the test requires writing, even teachers who complain they have to teach to the test will require students to write more.

That’s a good thing.

Writing more means thinking more. There’s really no way around it. Until we give a subject some thought, there’s nothing to write about. Writing forces all of us to engage, organize our thinking and come to conclusions. If the new test does nothing else, it forces students to think and articulate answers.

Among traditional schools, Cape Henlopen scored above state averages and led the state in math proficiency, demonstrating Cape has a good base on which to build. Still, only one in five incoming seniors showed proficiency in math, so there’s work to be done before the celebrations begin.

Some of the state’s highest scores went to Sussex Academy, Sussex’s only charter school, where 96 percent of students were proficient in English, and 74 percent were proficient in math. Critics may find fault with the school’s outreach to minority and low-income students, but Sussex Academy’s scores demonstrate students can and will achieve, even on the new, harder test.

It is well established that high test scores correlate with high incomes. But as a community and a nation, we will not succeed if only high-income students succeed. A healthy economy and a healthy future depend on ensuring the majority of students, regardless of family income, are successful in school and in the jobs that should accompany their school success.