Graduation exam may face suspension

At least some Democrats still have sense - instead of just mimicking the right-wing Republican establishment.

In California, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been falling over himself to see what important state programs he can slash to ease the state's budget crisis. He wanted to abolish welfare altogether and dismantle important health and education programs.

But Democratic lawmakers have proposed a refreshing alternative to some of these proposed cuts: They want to save money by suspending the state's high school exit exam.

From the get-go, I have viewed this statewide graduation test with extreme suspicion. If a student passes all their classes, why should they take another test just to graduate? Indeed, tens of thousands fail this test each year despite getting decent grades.

The Democrats didn't count on something when they proposed suspending this test: Standardized tests like California's exit exam are the national religion now, remember? It's a cult, in fact. I'm convinced that the whole point of the test, which was first used in 2006, was to make sure more kids don't graduate. The effort to brand young people as failures in America's "modern" school system is frankly cult-like.

True to form, the Republicans are throwing fits about the possibility of a standardized test they worship being suspended. Schwarzenegger is threatening to veto the Democrats' plan.

The Republicks need to grin and bear it. They want to slash everything else so badly, so why is the graduation exam so sacrosanct?

Under the Democrats' proposal, however, the test would still exist - but it wouldn't be a graduation requirement. The test would still be given in order to comply with the No Child Left Behind law enacted by the Bush regime.

You know what? If I was in charge, I'd abolish the test altogether - No Child Left Behind be damned. Rogue dictators like Bush don't get to decide how a state runs its schools.

(Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_12624623)