What high schoolers don't know...

...could fill my curriculum. But I still love those crazy bastards. Here's an article from Slate on the bankruptcy of our educational system. It's a journalistic path well-trod.

Two important caveats:

(1) As someone dimly familiar with pedagogical theory and steeped in pedagogical practice, I can tell you that - based on the sample questions - this particular "Document" isn't so "Hot." Even the layperson should be able to detect that a standardized, multiple-choice exam of this kind is limited in its usefulness. As a diagnostic tool for comprehension deficiencies, this test places far too much emphasis on rote questions concerning what I term "historical vocab." This "vital" humanities content is basically word association masquerading as authentic knowledge. As a predictor of Trivial Pursuit scores, I have no doubt it is a very handy tool. As an assessment of genuine learning, it is sadly lacking. This test fails.

(2) High schoolers (based on my very limited sampling) ARE lacking in geography, chronology, historical reasoning, and, YES, the nuts & bolts of "who drastically underestimated the folly of a winter invasion of whom." However, more bogus testing of this type is not the answer. I could type all day about the paucity of our resources as teachers, the stupidity of federal educational policy in general, the inadequacy of No Child Left Behind in particular, and so on and so on. But I'm writing this during my prep period, so maybe I'm part of the problem.

Check for updates. I plan to administer the sample questions to my classes. My prediction is a score well-above the study's average. Our high teacher-to-student ratio and private-school setting are hardly normative conditions, however, and probably help validate whatever foolishness the article was trying to sell.

UPDATE: my students annihilated it. Jeopardy Teen Tournament, here we come!