Why Not a Prize for Other Ideas?

“Whitney High School Seniors Rank No. 1 in State, Nerds of All They Survey” (Times, June 23) extends the silly season of The Times and local newspapers publishing CAP scores.

The significant information in your report was in the column headed “% AFDC” (The percentage of parents in an attendance area who received benefits from the Aid to Families With Dependent Children program). Some of these students live in trailers, garages or hotel rooms with their families and have no place to spread out their homework. So they fall behind and are tracked into slow-learning classes, which are taught quite differently than those at Whitney.

I have a positive suggestion. Why doesn’t The Times offer a substantial prize to the person who submits the best alternative for spending the money now budgeted for testing?

LOIS WILLIAMS

Montebello