By Guest Writer, Angela Morgan

Is it any wonder to know that less than half of high school seniors are prepared to go on to college and be successful young professionals? Harsh, no? That is what the most recent test results of the standardized college entrance exams, the SAT’s and ACT’s, are showing according to reports released by the College Board.

Declines in test scores are apparent across the board in every ethnic group, and in every income margin, although there is a significant difference in the results of students who have been raised by parents who have more than a high school diploma. What can we do to turn this downward spiral around?

Who is to Blame for Lower Test Scores?

Whether SAT tutoring or a return to more traditional test preparation is required, the current generation of high school students are fairing as well as their grandparents did during the early 1970’s when scores were most recently this low. There are some that will say that standardized testing has run its course and is no longer an accurate benchmark, but more than everyday test scores, standardized entrance exams are an indicator of the chances of future success in college.

It is not only a student's responsibility to be properly prepared for the SAT’s and ACT’s because of the ramifications of being denied acceptance to a college, but it is also the responsibility of parents and educators. High school seniors who do not go on to college will be sent out into the real world right away. If they're not ready to continue their education, then making it in the real world doesn't seem like it has any better chances.

Parents have a responsibility to guide students along a path to success. Teachers have a responsibility to follow a curriculum and assure that the students who are promoted have the knowledge to compete. If these students are not prepared, then it’s the teacher’s responsibility to keep the student back until they do gain the knowledge, or encourage SAT tutoring with an emphasis on areas where the student is falling short.

No Child Left Behind

Some are quick to blame the government for the current results in college entrance exams. The No Child Left Behind Act was passed in 2001 and signed into law, but is that law to blame? The 2001 bill is simply a reauthorization of the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act passed in 1965. It has been passed as reauthorization repeatedly, with bipartisan support, by every administration since Lyndon Johnson signed it into law.

Minor tweaks to the current bill include a requirement that schools must make average yearly improvement on standardized test scores. If schools fail to meet this requirement for more than two years consecutively then parents are offered the opportunity to transfer their children to better performing schools.

Improving Results

Looking forward, test results need to improve for the future of the students and the future of the country in general. For test scores to improve will take the support and cooperation of the students, parents, teachers and government. Parents need to encourage and motivate their children and take part in their education instead of standing on the sidelines hoping for the best. Though results-based education may require more of teachers, it is no different than any other field that requires results for success from retail to health care to investments. After all, students are an investment in the future.

Angela Morgan is a freelance journalist living in the Atlanta area. She holds a journalism degree and has been published in national newspapers and magazines.

Change. Success. Disappointment. Still believing that one teach can make a difference. This was what I read in a recent article in the Huffington Post. Teachers from the Chicago-area voiced what really mattered this last school year.

Below are some of the comments:

Kirstin Graef, kindergarten (first-year teacher)
Looking at the work the kids did at the beginning and then at the end! Wow, how did that happen? Sometimes I don't know who is doing more teaching, me or them. There were many times I felt like just a guide for my kids, and they were the ones that took everything and ran with it. One student especially made it worthwhile. He came in at the beginning of the year roaring, scissors swinging, hitting, yelling all day. He worked hard to learn the limits of school, to participate positively, and to be a good friend. He left with a hug, and in a calm voice said, "See you in first grade Ms. Graef!" Smiles, hugs, excitement, and knowing that overall I did the best I could -- that makes it worthwhile.

Katie Hogan, high school English
Losing staff members due to budget cuts devastated our ability to educate all of our students. Staff cuts exhausted already depleted resources, demoralized tenuously built bonds of trust between teachers and students, and forced even the best teachers to question whether "it's all worth it."

What else mattered was the continuing resilience. Another student rises out of 14 years of foster care to graduate, teenagers with cancer write essays and poems, and young people with autism continue to teach the rest of the world that imagination begets genius.

Noel Perez, alternative high school
Seeing my students graduate made it all worthwhile. For many, graduation was not a reality at first. Just getting to know them, and their struggles both inside and outside of school, made graduation that much sweeter. Many students had a real hard road to travel. At one graduation this year, we had a student come up to us, with tears in his eyes, and give us each a big hug! It put everything into perspective and reminded me why I choose to teach.

Anonymous school principal, Chicago
The thing that I find most memorable about this school year was seeing [one of our seventh graders] grow from an introvert, who barely wrote one word, who never did his homework, who failed a number of classes -- the person some teachers privately thought must be an idiot -- turn into "My Little College Professor," espousing wisdom in his answers far beyond his age and maturity level, holding conversations in science and social studies classes that proved he was well informed about local news and world issues.

All of this because one teacher stopped and paid attention. One teacher listened to him and cared. One teacher shared what she learned with other teachers (including the principal), and as a result taught us to appreciate this student and his eccentric ways, and the vast amount of knowledge and wisdom he possessed.

So, it won't be Performance Management that I remember. It won't be the standardized test scores and whether we're on probation, or whether we made A.Y.P. It won't be that we didn't receive a budget until June 6 with the expectation that it be completed by June 12.

What I will remember is that one teacher...can make a difference!

So what is it that mattered to you as a teacher. We would love to read your comments below.