Letters to the Editor 06/08/2011

To the Editor:

Russell Williams' letter to the editor in the June 1 Nugget requested additional views on what is meant by "embracing the system" with respect to the SAT exams. My views are not intended as a defense of Mr. Gorayeb, but as observations as a parent with students in the Sisters School system for the past nine years.

To be admitted to a high standing university, students must have (1) a high grade point average, or GPA, (2) good SAT scores, (3) community service or activities outside of the classroom, and (4) write a good essay on questions provided by the university. High GPA is a reflection of how students do within a school system, whereas the SAT scores are a nationalized test to determine where students compare to other students throughout the nation. In my experience, with one child in college, and another going through the entrance process, the Sisters School District does not prepare their students for the basics: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.

How can students who are near the top of their class in GPA be, to put it bluntly, mediocre at best on the SAT? The answer is that there is such a high emphasis on the arts program in Sisters, that the school district is missing the basics.

Elementary and middle school children should be taught sentence structure, not how to make an art project for a reading book assignment. "Honors Math," touted as a college-level class, should get well past chapter 4 during a full year. By the junior year in high school, there are subjects in math and writing on the SAT exam that have not ever been covered in our schools. That is why the national standards exist.

Math, science, and good writing skills need to be emphasized at Sisters, not art projects. Art, music, culinary arts, etc. are important, but only to a small percentage of the students that want to go into these careers. Reading, writing, and arithmetic skills are what are vital to our nation's economic future.

It is really disheartening to have children that want to succeed in higher education be denied access to those universities because they are not prepared for the SAT. Simply put, it is part of the admission system and the Sisters School District needs to recognize and prepare their students for it. I think Mr. Gorayeb actually understands this. Only time will tell if he can make a positive influence on what needs to be done.

Eugene Trahern