[ClearCase_guy]

The basic concept seems to be that test takers today do not do nearly as well as test takers from a few decades ago.

Should we ask questions about our education system and why it churns out low achievers?
Should we ask questions about today’s parenting and why kids don’t seem studious and disciplined?
Should we ask questions about demographics and the bell curve?

Or should we “re-center” the tests to hide the fact that our nation is in decline?

[Alberta's Child]

I think it says more about who is taking the tests than anything else.

When I was younger, it was not uncommon for marginal public schools in my area to have higher SAT scores than top private schools. That’s because only a small group of college-bound students at the public schools even took the SAT, while everybody at the private schools did.

[9YearLurker]

Four rhetorical questions.

[SharpRightTurn]

“Should we ask questions about our education system and why it churns out low achievers?
“Should we ask questions about today’s parenting and why kids don’t seem studious and disciplined?
“Should we ask questions about demographics and the bell curve?
“Or should we “re-center” the tests to hide the fact that our nation is in decline?”

Excellent questions. I would want answers on those from someone with “skin in the game” (like an astronaut stuck in space due to faulty equipment) rather than from a social scientist at an Ivy League University who wants to monkey with the results for political reasons.

[hinckley buzzard]

When compared to contemporaries in other countries, the decline in American education is obvious and too large to hide. Public education on average functions at a third world level. Highly effective school systems do exist, but they are outnumbered badly by systems, mostly urban, that teach little or nothing. I believe the teachers unions are largely responsible.

[dangus]

Of course, all of your questions, perfectly decent, don’t have jack squat to do with AP testing. After spending a full year 180 hours in an AP class, a high school student is going to know a ton of a lot more than a college student who has spent just 90 hours. And getting a “3” on an AP test is a lot harder than getting a “C” on a college test.