Re: Here is a little reality check on the High Stakes testing

[Charles Bell <charbell@BELLSOUTH.NET>]

Think about the probability of what you report: AFQT of 89/99
On a four choice multiple choice exam, random picking of answers ought to
be somewhere much much lower. (Maybe 25%)
Perhaps your son is covering up or an Air Force Recruiter is messing with
the student answer sheet to get another recruit.
I suspect that the recruiter is honest and your son has a good head on his
shoulders.  That's partly your doing.
It won't hurt him to go in the Air Force or any branch of the military
either. There are very good training opportunities for young people there.
Its much better that than to se them laying around and doing nothing at all
after graduation. Pays good and pays good for the jobs he can get when he
gets out.



At 08:25 PM 12/14/2003, you wrote:
> My son was taking autoshop and was required to take the ASVAB test.  =
> He
> scored above average on all categories.  He got an AFQT of 89/99.  I =
> should
> be proud of him.  He is acceptable for a number of programs in the US
> military.
>
> However he never opened the test booklet, and just randomly bubbled t=
> he
> scantron.
>
> He did the same thing for the new TX test which they had to take, but=
>  the
> scores were not put on his record because this was purely an evaluati=
> on of
> the test.  He managed to pass the English section.
>
> The first I suppose could be called an example of "military intellige=
> nce",
> and the second an example of "Texas government intelligence".
>
> I suppose this is also an example of how students will subvert the sy=
> stem
> whenever possible.  I am not sure that I should be proud of him for b=
> eing a
> rebel, or for the fact that he recognized what is important and what =
> is not.
> I would say he does take after me in some ways, but that just might b=
> e
> genes.  He knows I am writing this.
>
> Incidentally being a rebel can be of benefit.  A student at Rice U or=
> ganized
> a group of students to sneak into the central quad in the dead of nig=
> ht and
> turn the massive statue of Mr. Rice around to face the opposite direc=
> tion.
> When he was found out he did receive a severe penalty.  However he al=
> so
> received numerous job offers because he had exhibited ingenuity, plan=
> ning,
> foresight and daring.  He was the son a chemical engineering professo=
> r.
>
> John M. Clement
> Houston, TX