Editorial: Lessons and exams cannot be separate

Thursday, June 5, 2003 | 9:10 a.m.

At first blush it's surprising that more than 1,600 Clark County School District seniors -- 13 percent of the class of 2003 -- failed the mathematics proficiency exam. But surprise turns to indignation upon learning the main reason. Although it comprises 20 percent of the exam, algebra has not been a required subject in Nevada high schools. This will change in the fall, but that doesn't help the students who this week learned they won't be receiving diplomas on graduation day.

"What we've been teaching for the most part up to now isn't necessarily what the kids are expected to know when they sit down for the test," district Superintendent Carlos Garcia told Sun reporter Emily Richmond. And state Superintendent Jack McLaughlin said, "There's an obvious disconnect between the test and what students are being taught."

The lesson to be learned is not that educators must "teach to the test." That method substitutes memorization for learning. The lesson is more the other way around -- administrators must ensure that tests are compatible with actual classroom instruction. First, develop courses that teach students what they will be expected to know and then write exams related to those lessons. Exam writers and teachers must be on the same plane.

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