[Ivana Denisovich]

I really wish they would have some kids (who are not book smart...whatever that means) go into a track of vocational education where kids learn a trade.

I agree with you and I don't know when these options went away. I went to school at a time when not everyone was expected to go to college. That's one problem with how things are run now. All students are expected to complete the requirements to get into a college, and those that can't feel less than. We need good mechanics, plumbers, and electricians - and they make darn good money, looking at what they charge!



I'm not sure why I'm being asked this because I thought the better solution to state-wide tests and exit exams was to fail the kids who didn't learn the material in a class. But ... since the exit exam in CA was at an 8th grade level in math and 10th grade in English (and mind you that our education levels have been dumbed down over the past decades), I don't think any student should get a diploma without passing it. 9th and 10th graders have passed it, saying it was easy. Even someone in a vocational field will need math at a middle school level and to be able to comprehend material written at a 10th grade level. It would benefit them to get up to that level, if they aren't already -to read plumbing manuals or the electrical code.

[pterional]

There is no question that these kids must pass the exit exam. The skills being tested are those which are requisite for all citizens. Reading, writing and mathematics are important in every field. I wonder how the judge would feel if those kids that flunked worked on the jet aircraft that he flies in, or dispensed his prescription drugs, or repaired the brakes on his Mercedes. The point is a lot of job fields may not require a college education but do require quality individuals with a good basic education in order to keep society safe.

[Amelia]

All students are expected to complete the requirements to get into a college, and those that can't feel less than. We need good mechanics, plumbers, and electricians - and they make darn good money, looking at what they charge!

Again, I agree totally - and jobs like mechanic, plumber, electrician, and carpenter can't be outsourced.

In our area, some of the jobs such as carpenter and brickmason are now mostly being done by Mexicans, and I think that's partially because we aren't training young people to do that sort of job as much anymore, and partially because we're teaching our young people that doing that sort of job is "beneath them".

Even someone in a vocational field will need math at a middle school level and to be able to comprehend material written at a 10th grade level. It would benefit them to get up to that level, if they aren't already -to read plumbing manuals or the electrical code.

Not to mention that reading newspapers, voting, managing a bank account, paying taxes, and other responsibilities of everyday life require a certain skill level in reading and math.