If it’s not on the test, don’t expect me to know it

The country’s daily economic standing is inked on every major newspaper’s front page. Since we are in a recession, I think this is a good time to be knowledgeable in history and economics. But I have little knowledge in either.

I am a 22-year-old product of Ben Hill County schools and now am a senior at the University of Georgia. Instead of learning the details of supply and demand in school, I have learned mostly the success game —-how to pass tests so I could move ahead a grade. I play the game well.

I don’t blame my teachers, parents or community. I know they wish Georgia’s young the best education.

I blame standardized tests.

Once I got to high school, I quickly figured out how to predict test questions and study only those. I learned to mimic my teacher’s style of writing, not to develop my own style. Both resulted in good grades.

This is a game played by most students because it works. Our school systems give students only one option: pass the test dictated by the state and you can pass the course and move to the next grade. If you don’t pass —- sorry.

The focus of school administrators is graduation rates. As I understand it, Georgia has set its goal for all schools at graduating 100 percent of students by 2014. Fail to meet that goal and state funding will be cut. This puts a lot of pressure on teachers and principals to get students to pass state exams. My small-town high school, Fitzgerald High, wouldn’t survive without state funding.

Pressure on teachers is especially heavy. Their effectiveness is determined by how well their students do on these exams.

Creativity doesn’t flourish in such an environment. My school curriculum was so structured that I really didn’t learn much except how to correctly answer different types of questions. On written tests, we had to provide the basic five-paragraph essay so that we could pass and move on to the next grade.

I find this same structured thinking in college, where I made good use of my skill in predicting test questions. I know my teachers’ writing styles and simply plug my thoughts into their structure.

It’s easy to attend class as a mindless zombie, hearing only those things that will help me get through final exams. You know: get the important stuff and forget the rest.

Now, I’m graduating in May with a degree in journalism and I’m terrified. I don’t have my own writing style nailed down and I don’t understand this recession; all I know is a lot of people are getting hurt from it. I was never tested on that.

I know that as a college student, I’m responsible for my own knowledge, but the gaps left from my education are so large that I find them impossible to fill.

I understand the obsession with standardized tests. Some standard has to be set to determine if students have enough knowledge to build on next year. But when testing is the main focus, students like me will learn only how to master the success game. Because no child can be left behind, the standards are set incredibly low.

I was a curious student early in high school, anxious to learn more about the world. But I had to hold back to wait for slower learners. All children should have the option of getting a good education. But an education that is watered down so it can be taught to all kids produces graduates with a minimal education.

I’m not curious anymore. Will I now be just another drone who graduates from UGA with honors because I am a good test taker? Will this skill be beneficial to this country’s future? If so, I will do well.

> Laura Braziel of Fitzgerald is a University of Georgia senior majoring in magazine journalism.