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High school exit exams

Do you think exit exams are fair

  • Yes, we let kids off too easy, they need to prove themselves

    Votes: 27 60.0%

  • No, this can devastate and humiliate a teen

    Votes: 3 6.7%

  • It's only fair if the teen failed other classes

    Votes: 5 11.1%

  • The teen should still be able to walk just not get a diploma

    Votes: 1 2.2%

  • Other

    Votes: 9 20.0%
  • Total voters
    45
justabubba said:
your argument is poorly constructed
you insist that the exit exam should be a compilation from previous tests, which you presume the student passed
but if the student passed those tests, would he/she not also be expected to pass the final exam covering the same material?
and if they cannot do so, then the valid conclusion is the student did not master the basic material, rendering them ineligible to receive a diploma
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My argument is if it's the same material they were *already tested on* it's a waste of time and if they don't pass, it's possibly cause they were bored out of their minds. I nearly fall asleep on most tests as is. The argument a 4.0 student doesn't deserve a diploma, after risking life and limb every day, based on this "exit exam" is what's poorly constructed.
 
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chromium said:
So you have a list of required classes and corresponding final exams yet somehow need an "exit exam" to graduate. What a load of ****. This is just an admission that the teachers or required classes failed
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No. Standardized test prove that the teachers aren't just passing kids due to bribery/personal politics/laziness.
 
reinoe said:
No. Standardized test prove that the teachers aren't just passing kids due to bribery/personal politics/laziness.
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I could see that happening in one or two classes but all of them? Time to shut down that school then.
 
chromium said:
My argument is if it's the same material they were *already tested on* it's a waste of time and if they don't pass, it's possibly cause they were bored out of their minds. I nearly fall asleep on most tests as is. The argument a 4.0 student doesn't deserve a diploma, after risking life and limb every day, based on this "exit exam" is what's poorly constructed.
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Risking life and limb every day? Where exactly did you go to school. Iraq.

I look at it this way. We have all seen the reports of collage athletes that can barely read. Those cats all graduated HS somewhere. If you can pass HS while barely being able to read there is obviously a problem. We should not be giving out diplomas just because a person participated. Exit exams just might help.
When it is all said and done we as a country need to be making school much harder not easier just so it won't hurt kids feelings.
 
braindrain said:
Risking life and limb every day? Where exactly did you go to school. Iraq.

I look at it this way. We have all seen the reports of collage athletes that can barely read. Those cats all graduated HS somewhere. If you can pass HS while barely being able to read there is obviously a problem. We should not be giving out diplomas just because a person participated. Exit exams just might help.
When it is all said and done we as a country need to be making school much harder not easier just so it won't hurt kids feelings.
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Gay in a small town, think i'd prefer iraq.

Of course you're right, but one exam alone won't solve all that, not when detroit has 50 students per teacher. They want higher than a 10% graduation rate so they dumb down the material out of necessity. Making the kids care when they got a single mom and struggle just to not join their 5 siblings in jail or getting shot is the 1st challenge.
 
Superfly said:
Meh, I don't get all the hate for GEDs. I've heard people on both sides of the coin. Some say that a GED says that the student didn't work hard enough, or couldn't finish anything, so they aren't a good risk. Then I've heard that GEDs are looked at better than a diploma, because a GED test is really hard, and forces you to know certain information, whereas a high school diploma does not, as students are often passed without having full knowledge of the material.
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I don't hate the GED. I've always heard that it can be difficult. I also think that colleges and employers greatly prefer a diploma.
 
nota bene said:
I think it is. There are many college students, for example, who think that they deserve a passing grade just because they came to class every day. There are others who aren't even marginally prepared for college work but who blame their profs rather than themselves for deciding so long ago that they didn't "like" to read. They think it's unfair (and so do their helicopter parents) that they have to take remedial ("developmental") math classes for no credit before they can enroll in algebra.
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I think a great deal of this attitude comes from parents. I don't see teachers encouraging or even tolerating this attitude. I do, however, see this attitude from some parents.
 
Dittohead not! said:
It has been a while since I've been in college, but I don't remember ever being able to pass just by attending classes. How is that philosophy working out for the students of today? Is blaming their own lack of success on their profs helping them graduate? If they can actually get away with drifting through four years, then the system is indeed in big trouble.

As for the remedial classes, I hear complaints about that all the time. It used to be that you had to know how to read, write, and do math in order to be accepted. Junior colleges were for remedial classes. Why do universities even accept students who aren't prepared?
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Money. They are happy to have students who need remedial classes because that is more money.
 
Layla_Z said:
Money. They are happy to have students who need remedial classes because that is more money.
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That's the answer to a lot of questions, isn't it? So, let them cash their checks and quit complaining that students come to them unprepared for college level work.
 
Layla_Z said:
I don't hate the GED. I've always heard that it can be difficult. I also think that colleges and employers greatly prefer a diploma.
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You think? Or you know? Don't mean to be ugly, but do you work in Admissions in a college, or HR for an employer? Or is this just your opinion?
 
Layla_Z said:
I don't hate the GED. I've always heard that it can be difficult. I also think that colleges and employers greatly prefer a diploma.
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It greatly depends on what school that diploma came from.
 
Superfly said:
You think? Or you know? Don't mean to be ugly, but do you work in Admissions in a college, or HR for an employer? Or is this just your opinion?
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Well since I know that some colleges don't accept students without a diploma and many jobs are the same, I'd say I know. I have nothing against the GED or anyone who chooses that route. I'm only say that the more accepted route is still the diploma.
 
Layla_Z said:
Well since I know that some colleges don't accept students without a diploma and many jobs are the same, I'd say I know. I have nothing against the GED or anyone who chooses that route. I'm only say that the more accepted route is still the diploma.
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And how do you know? That is what I am getting at. How do you know? Other than a quick Google search, that is. Do you work in an area that discriminates against GED holders?
 
Superfly said:
And how do you know? That is what I am getting at. How do you know? Other than a quick Google search, that is. Do you work in an area that discriminates against GED holders?
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I know because I've looked at college admission requirements, I've looked at job requirements, I've been in education for 20 years. I don't advocate for discriminating against GED holders. I'm stating the facts as I know them and discussing my experiences.
 
Layla_Z said:
I know because I've looked at college admission requirements, I've looked at job requirements, I've been in education for 20 years. I don't advocate for discriminating against GED holders. I'm stating the facts as I know them and discussing my experiences.
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So you are a teacher?
 
Superfly said:
You think? Or you know? Don't mean to be ugly, but do you work in Admissions in a college, or HR for an employer? Or is this just your opinion?
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didn't the military quit accepting recruits who had a GED. thought a HS diploma was required
 
justabubba said:
didn't the military quit accepting recruits who had a GED. thought a HS diploma was required
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I heard that once, Bubba, but it was years ago, before we got involved in 2 wars. Hubs is no longer in the Army, so I can't ask him. I've wondered if that requirement was loosened up a bit.
 
herenow1 said:
Over the past several years some states have implemented passing exit exams be required for graduation. 26 states have made this a requirement.If a child passes all of their classes, even if they're an A B student, they can't walk or graduate b/c they didn't pass an exit exam. Some of the tests include questions the teachers haven't even covered. Granted you have 4 yrs to pass it, BUT not everyone does well on tests. Do you think this is fair? Do you think it's fair that a child goes to school, passes all his classes, graduates to the next grade each year, yet he/she can't walk all b/c they fail a test?
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My answers not up there. The trouble with high stakes tests is they have limitations as measurements. Pt hey only tell a partial story. I'm not concerned with anyone's feelings, but I do believe we should use multiple measures, in which test types of test are but a part of the equation.
 
Superfly said:
I heard that once, Bubba, but it was years ago, before we got involved in 2 wars. Hubs is no longer in the Army, so I can't ask him. I've wondered if that requirement was loosened up a bit.
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i asked this question about five years ago on behalf of a woman who had a GED. the (army) recruiter insisted that a diploma would be required for her to enlist
 
Your Star said:
I graduated 5 years ago(holy **** it's been 5 years already! :lol:) and took these tests. They are SO FREAKING EASY! On every test but the math I finished them all in like 15 minutes, the math took me 30 minutes, and I scored in the top 5 percentile in every subject. So yeah, they aren't that hard.
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That's to make sure most pass.
 
Layla_Z said:
I know because I've looked at college admission requirements, I've looked at job requirements, I've been in education for 20 years. I don't advocate for discriminating against GED holders. I'm stating the facts as I know them and discussing my experiences.
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Well but in plenty of districts home schooling is superior to what the high school can offer. Many private colleges including the Ivys recognize that even perfect grades in K-12 don't really count for much.
 
justabubba said:
i asked this question about five years ago on behalf of a woman who had a GED. the (army) recruiter insisted that a diploma would be required for her to enlist
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I have to say that, with home schooling having come as far as it has, and in many cases, home schooled students scoring much higher than traditional students - they may have to rethink that policy.
 
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