We need a test for that

 We Need a test for that?

 

Who are the two U. S. Senators from Maryland?  We live in a democracy and these two people just participated it the confirmation of a new Supreme Court justice.  They have very important jobs and you should at least know their names.

Currently the Maryland State Department of Education gives multiple high stakes tests to determine if students are sufficiently educated to receive a high school diploma so they can be college and career ready.  There is no test to see if they are citizenship ready to participate in a democracy even though the primary reason for funding public education is just that.

Currently there is an 8^th grade test for social studies and a 12^th grade test in government.   The 12^th grade test is rather curious.   Multiple sections involve the interpretation of graphs and political cartoons.  Students are not asked to differentiate between the roles of federal, state or community government.  They are not asked how the job of a mayor is different from that of a governor or the president.  In Maryland the state budget must be a balanced budget.  That is not true for the U.S.  No question on either point.  Nothing on the roles of the Maryland House of Delegates as opposed to the U.S. House of Representatives, truthfully there is nothing that even asks kids the names of the Maryland or federal legislative bodies.  You get to be a judge for life, the President for 4-8 years and a U.S. Senator for six years unless re-elected- none of that is on the test.  There are questions about old Supreme Court decisions and what instances would apply to them currently.  Not a word about what advise and consent means, or the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony.

Oddly the 8^th grade social studies test does a better job of examining U.S. history.  It’s role is not to measure a student’s understanding of a representative democracy and it doesn’t.  

Don’t believe what I have written?  Not to worry.  Go to the MSDE website and search 12^thgrade government and 8^th grade social studies practice tests.  The 12^th grade test is an MCAP test so it is specific to Maryland.  The 8^th grade test was developed by Pearson, a test producer, so that is more generic.  See for yourself if you think we are asking the right questions to prepare our students to participate as informed citizens in a democracy.

Oh, in case you didn’t know right out of the gate, Maryland’s two U.S. senators are Benjamin Cardin and Chris Van Hollen.  We need a test for that.