Be All You (Just Have to) Be

While they had shown initial interest in publishing this, the Washington Post apparently decided against it:

To the editor:

In his article, "Knowing State Tests' 'Cut' Scores," published Monday October 22, Ian Shapira writes about a student who wants to know the number of questions she needs to answer correctly to not fail a standardized test. This underscores a significant problem all too prevalent in today's schools: instead of learning what one needs to succeed, the focus has shifted to learning what one needs not to fail.

Such low standards and expectations for the students can only stifle improvement in academics and, consequently, adult life. Setting expectations so low is bound to perpetuate poor results. Thus, instead of striving to become successful members of society, students can make every effort not to get fired.

JPB