To Test or Not to Test. That is the Question!

One item passed at the end of this legislative session was the requirement that students who are in eighth grade in the 2005-2006 school year must pass the MCA II Math test in 11th grade in order to graduate from high school. The exact details of the MCA II are not known yet, but the general idea is that students must take three years of math in high school and then pass a standardized test to show that they know the material covered by those classes. The MCA II will be some combination of the current 8th grade Basic Skills Test and the current 11th grade Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment test.

What are your opinions about this change? Is this too much to expect of our students? Are these required skills needed to compete in the global economy? Post responses to let me know your opinion. I hope you find this discussion interesting and enlighting. I look forward to hear your comments.