The Limits of Testing and Testing the Limits

Crispin Sartwell’s excellent commentary (“Thinkers Go to the Back of the Lunch Line,” Jan. 28) touches on a more pressing absurdity: standardized testing. Am I the only one who felt like I’d fallen down the rabbit hole when it seemed all our local, state and federal officials declared comprehensive standardized testing the panacea for our public schools?

It sounds nice as a meaningless political sound bite but does nothing to solve the problems plaguing our schools. In fact, it does the opposite: Teachers must spend so much time preparing for these tests that they can no longer help students to learn critical thinking. Then again, perhaps that is what these politicians wanted--a populace without the ability to think critically.

Gary P. Gross

Huntington Beach

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After reading Sartwell’s column, I have only one question. At what age do children get to tell their teachers that certain material or tests are stupid? This seems to be a child’s dream come true; I know that as a child I would have loved to have this kind of “courage to stand up for what I believed.” Up until test time I “knew it all” too. (This assumption was rectified upon grading.)

I think all this child is learning is disrespect for his teachers, especially since his parents are taking his side on the issue. Part of education is learning how little we really know, and tests seem to be a proven method.

Virginia Sigl

Venice