Mel’s Musings – I’ve never let schooling interfere with my education

That quote, “I’ve never let schooling interfere with my education”, has long been attributed to Mark Twain. Actually, it was one of Twain’s contemporaries – novelist Grant Allen – who said that. However, the maxim still has a ring of truth to it. When Mark Twain died in 1910 only 13.5% of Americans graduated from high school. When my Dad graduated from high school in 1950 the national rate of high school graduation was 34%. When I graduated in 1977 the rate of high school graduation in this country was 65%. The high school graduation rate dipped a bit during Covid and but still averaged 87% in 2020.

It used to be that grit, honesty, common sense, a willingness to learn and a good work ethic could get someone through life even if one were a high school dropout. That’s not the case anymore. All of those traits remain important and admirable but educational attainment is the key to success. Most jobs now require a level of education, skill and expertise that one can acquire only through additional training and schooling beyond high school.

Despite the obvious connection, education and school are not synonymous. Admittedly, you can learn a lot through living life, on your own and with experience. I taught high school for thirty-six years and most kids thought what I was teaching them was “useless”. I taught World History, American History, Civics and AP American Government. World History was interesting, all the other subjects were vital. We’re seeing in our politics and public life today what happens when people don’t understand how democracy works, how our way of government is not a “winner take all” system, that compromise is not capitulation and those who disagree with us are not the “enemy” but fellow citizens of this Republic.

Representative Tony Venhuizen (Republican, District 13 Lincoln/Minnehaha Counties) has introduced a bill in this 2024 legislative session, House Bill 1002, that would make the ACT test mandatory for all high school juniors in South Dakota. That would be in addition to any other achievement testing that is done in the Junior year of high school. The school district would pay the fee for the ACT testing and the schools would be reimbursed by the State of South Dakota for the cost of those tests. Students on an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), typically Special Education kids, would be exempt from the ACT testing requirement. Approximately 59% of high school juniors currently take the test, some take it multiple times on their own dime in order to get to the magic score of 24. That’s the score that qualifies high school students for the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarships. The average ACT score in South Dakota is 21. A perfect ACT score is 36.

I was one of the teachers who administered the state achievement tests to high school juniors that were supposed to judge whether or not schools were doing the job the public and the State was expecting them to do. For a long time, those were the Stanford Tests. Eventually, the Stanford Tests were eliminated and the Smarter Balance Tests put in their place. Whatever the test, the kids didn’t care about those assessments, not one bit – not at all. Those tests meant nothing in terms of a student’s class rank, GPA, grade in a particular class, whether or not a student graduated from high school etc. and the kids knew it. That meant that many students were totally unmotivated to do well on these tests. The only people who really cared about the tests were the State of South Dakota, school administrators and the press that reported the composite scores. In addition, I never understood why we weren’t administering an “exit exam” at the end of the senior year, instead of testing kids as juniors when they had a year of school to go. It’s a bit like judging a football team by the score at the end of the third quarter. Doesn’t it make sense to wait until the game is over before making an assessment? However, that’s just me. I’ve spent most of my life in professions, education and politics, where common sense often doesn’t seem to matter or have value.

Requiring the American College Testing (ACT) exam would get rid of many of those objections. The ACT can get a kid accepted to college. A high enough score qualifies a young person for South Dakota Opportunity and other scholarships. That would be an improvement in motivation for students and provide a truer reflection of their abilities and achievements. The ACT may not be the best way to measure if schools are meeting their obligations to every student. That’s because the ACT test is to determine potential success at the college level. Not all students are going to college and often students are in control of their own academic high school destinies. At Mitchell High School, beyond the specified State requirements, students choose their own schedules. They may meet all their Math and Science requirements and yet never take an advanced Math or Science class, Physics or Calculus as examples. That lack of rigor will meet high school graduation requirements and may be perfectly appropriate for that student as it relates to their career goals but puts them at a severe disadvantage on the ACT exam.

There is also the issue of ACT prep classes. There is a whole cottage industry of people and products that work to help students improve their performance on the ACT. Presumably those classes, books and in person tutoring would continue. That begs the question, did the curriculum and instruction of a particular South Dakota high school lead to the ACT score or was it the test specific preparation outside of and separate from the “regular” instruction of the school? There are also economic issues involved. ACT prep can be expensive, so those with resources can avail themselves of the additional prep material while others less well-off cannot.

There is a reason why only 59% of South Dakota students take the ACT. That’s because it is a test for those who think they are bound for higher education. High schools in South Dakota are supposed to meet the needs of every type of student. College isn’t for everyone. People can be very successful in the trades; for example, just look at businesses in Mitchell like Muth Electric, Tessiers, Krohmer Plumbing and others. We need all sorts of people in life and business. I’ve had former students do work for me and on my home that I am not remotely qualified to perform, despite my high falutin education (I have a Bachelor of Science degree in History, a Master of Arts degree in Education and a second Master of Arts degree in History). Having the other 40% or so take the ACT, those with no interest or need to take a college entrance exam, could potentially lower the average ACT score and give a false impression of just how well South Dakota schools are doing to prepare those bound for college for that level of education.

Schools are meant to prepare students for their next step in life. That next step is not necessarily the four year university track. That’s why a large swath of academic subjects are offered at several ability levels in South Dakota secondary education (i.e. Consumer Math to Advanced Calculus). That diversity in curriculum meets the needs and goals of all students, not just those who are college bound. However, high school is not only about academics but also life skills; meeting deadlines and responsibilities (homework), being on time and attentive, honesty and practical skills – like learning to cook and manage one’s finances. We can’t lose sight that high school is for everyone and not just the Einsteins among us.

Representative Venhuizen’s bill was embraced by the South Dakota Department of Education and by the Governor in its first committee hearing. Consequently, Representative Venhuizen did what good legislators do and moved to table his own bill. He’s achieved his purpose, and a new policy will be put into place without legislation.

I think the ACT testing approach is too narrow. Instead, I believe there should be a hybrid system where high school juniors can choose their assessment. In my proposal, the college bound would take the ACT as Representative Venhuizen has recommended. However, students would also have a choice of taking the Accuplacer, which is the test used for admission to South Dakota Technical Colleges or the ASVAB, which is the test administered to those wishing to volunteer for military service. However, in order to meet the goals of assessing school performance, all students would have to take one of those three exams – again exempting those on Individual Education Plans in Special Education.

As I said at the outset of this piece, politics is about half a loaf and compromise. Moving away from the Smarter Balance Test to the ACT is a good first step in changing educational assessment policy. There’s always Legislative Session 2025 and beyond to tack on the options of Accuplacer and the ASVAB so that every student’s future academic and career tracks are appropriately covered and assessed.