Word: system
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Most Americans have few qualms about embracing the rawest form of dog-eat-dog capitalism (including the only health care system in the world based entirely on private profit), and yet their unwillingness to label anyone as intrinsically less worthy and their commitment to "being nice" indicate a sense of compassion. Some might see a contradiction, but I think there's a logic behind it. Merciless selection seems less objectionable if we insist that no one is intrinsically unfit. The losers are victims of circumstance, who, in principle at least, can be helped to succeed...
...Even if immigrants are not citizens, they still have children in the school system and should be able to influence the decisions," Lim says...
...massive infusion of effort would cause scores to improve so substantially that very few students would fail the exam, then perhaps the proposed high stakes system would be reasonable. However, overall scores rose only very slightly from the first time the test was taken to the second time. In some areas, scores fell despite classroom emphasis on test preparation. It seems clear that scores on this test, like the quality of education in general, can change only gradually. Three years is not enough time to improve a 40 percent failure rate to a reasonable success rate...
...diploma can be a crippling disadvantage. To deny graduation to so great a segment of the population at such an early stage in the history of this test, when its content and grading mechanism are still unclear, would be a grave mistake, helping neither the students nor the educational system...
...better system would have two levels of diplomas, a good old-fashioned high school diploma and an honors diploma, much like the Regents system in New York. Students who excelled in school and reached the "proficient" or "advanced" level on the exam would be recognized for their achievements, while students who completed all high school requirements and passed their courses but not the test would receive an ordinary diploma. This policy would take advantage of the best aspect of the test, its ability to identify the most effective parts of the educational system, while avoiding the travesty of denying diplomas...