Letters to the Editor 06/15/2011

To the Editor:

Eugene Trahern's letter of June 8 requires a response. Like Eugene, I have two kids that have worked their way through the Sisters school system, my eldest is now embroiled in more college entrance tests than I ever knew existed. We are in agreement that SAT scores are meaningful, and like other evaluative criteria, can play a significant role in admission to a high-end college. And yet, I know for a fact that an average SAT score does NOT in and of itself exclude one from admission to a top-ranked college. More to the point, where is the research that shows attendance at a top-ranked college to be a prerequisite to a successful career and life?

Unlike Eugene, I could not be more pleased with the academic opportunities that have been offered to my children at every level. I simply do not see any value in narrowing the training of our young students for maximizing performance on a standardized test that may or may not be reflective of a diverse, enriching and holistic educational experience and which we are so fortunate to have available here in Sisters for those who seek it.

Kris Calvin

•••

To the Editor:

The recent letters to the editor regarding how best to prepare Sisters students for college should be of interest to us all. From my perspective, this pie has four pieces:

The first is the teacher and curriculum piece, arguably the biggest. The second piece belongs to the parents - what are the attitudes and environment they provide? The third is the community - more on that in a minute.

The fourth piece is the student, and here things get tricky. Students are not the genetic sum of their parents, nor uniformly endowed with aptitudes and skills for all school subjects, nor necessarily turned on or off to the particular community they live in. Each is a unique human with a unique brain with many different kinds of intelligences.

From my dim perspective of 50 years beyond high school I believe public education should strive to discover, nourish and challenge each student with their unique set of intelligences. Thus, I think national and state testing miss the mark - they tend to dumb down unique talents into a brain porridge. Not all will be artists, scientists, writers or athletes who also score high on IQ-types of tests, but many will. I think by the time students are midway through high school the education system should provide each one with a discovery moment for where they want to go, where their unique intelligences could lead them, and then give them the big push toward college.

I'm now more interested in the community piece of the pie. What can we do to help students get into college? First, let's recognize Sisters school programs in art, music and athletic "education" are outstanding and well-supported by the community. There is much to be proud of. Second, let us recognize from the Web that results of state testing in math and science for Sisters' high school students is above average, but not yet outstanding. Finally, let us recognize that those of us in the community interested in the intelligences of science and math need to step forward.

Science is disciplined, rigorous and true. It is also the only way we and our children can explore the wonderment of this world with certainty. Over a hundred people in Sisters have now joined together to form the Sisters Science Club, to help the schools help the students pursue these sets of intelligences into the future. We will work together to make this exhilarating, inspiring and empowering for our students as best we can.

Learn more about Sisters Science Club at http://www.sistersscienceclub.org.

Bob Collins

•••

To the Editor:

After reading the last two weeks' letters to the editor, I wanted to add three ideas to the exchange regarding nationally normed tests for our high school students.

First, in the interest of grounding this discussion in fact, for the past four years, Sisters High School's combined SAT scores have consistently exceeded the average for Central Oregon schools, which generally exceeded the average for all of Oregon, which in turn exceeded the national average. While we should be proud of these facts, I agree with our school board members and others who believe that we can continue to aspire higher.

Second, college admissions officers consider a range of different factors (including essays, interviews, recommendations, community involvement, high school GPA/class rank and standardized test scores) precisely because each of these measures reflects different aspects of a candidate's strengths. It should come as no surprise that class rank and SAT scores are not always correlated; these are intended to be entirely different types of assessment.

Third, I do not believe that a healthy emphasis on arts, athletics and other co-curricular activities must necessarily take away from our students' success on academic measures. Quite the contrary, a great deal of evidence demonstrates that students who have access and choose to participate in arts electives and co-curricular activities tend to fare better in terms of grades, standardized test scores, college attendance, and other measures of academic achievement.

As our school officials face cuts of epic proportions, I hope that they are able to preserve well-integrated arts and athletics education as essential elements of our school culture because I believe that such programs support academic success. Thanks to the overwhelming support of the Sisters community, expressed via the local option and other means, we continue to build a school community of which we can be proud.

Rob Corrigan

•••

To the Editor:

To our Crossroads friends and neighbors,

Your thoughtfulness and generosity touched our hearts during our recent health crisis with our son, Luke. Luke is now at home recovering. We are truly blessed to live in such a caring and wonderful community as Crossroads. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Your friends and neighbors,

Charlie, Angi & Luke Gardinier

•••

To the Editor:

In regard to Eugene Trahern's comments on preparation of students for college, this isn't a new problem.

Roughly 50 percent of our nation's students entering college today fail placement tests in science, math or English. This was an issue when I attended college, but the problem is worse now. Schools concentrate on improving the lower scoring students, offering a curriculum not suited to the collegebound. High school grades have no relevance to the level of knowledge required for college. An "A" should mean an advanced knowledge of the subject. Grades should reflect the ability to excel at the next level, instead of the minimum needed to go on.

AP classes are a start, but don't reflect the realities of competition for an expensive college degree. Getting in is hard, but getting out is much harder; college graduation rates are poor. Worse, high school today offers no incentives to higher-performing students. Build courses exclusively for them, and reward them for success. Separate the hard workers early, and fast-track them.

There is no reason a high school student can't master high school and the real first year of college, even in the sciences, by the time they finish high school.

High school can't compete for top academics in any subject at today's salaries. The only practical remedy is to create advanced tutoring for gifted students so they gain the advanced knowledge they need to compete. Tap the retired who have degrees and know the realities of the marketplace.

High school is an expensive gift to our children, and we should demand that it be a lot better that it is. Not every student will go to college, but those who do should be offered a high school education that prepares them fully. They are key to our nation's future

success.

Howard Jameson

•••

To the Editor:

Wow. I hope Sisters realizes how amazing it is to have a former chair of a neurology department (UCLA no less) heading up a community science club. Getting kids to understand WHY they need to be fluent in math nowadays when their parents seemed to get along fine without it... and making kids aware of the huge spectrum of highly paid careers waiting for them if they take up science and engineering is half the battle. Once they have a dream and motivation, a little bit of support goes a long way!

Henrik Kibak