Kentucky's legislators are considering doing away with the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System, which has been the centerpiece of Kentucky's Education Reform Act.
Some say that would save money. Others claim it would free up more school days for instruction that are currently devoted to testing.
Maybe these are valid points. But the one part of the proposal I find totally unacceptable is eliminating the quality of student-writing portfolios as an indicator of a school's performance.Emphasizing writing ability has been one of the strengths of the current system. And suddenly de-emphasizing it would be exactly the wrong move at the wrong time.
Anyone who deals with a lot of written communication knows the ability to write clearly and accurately is becoming a lost art in this country.
And I'm not talking about high-school dropouts. Too many well-educated people simply can't spell, properly punctuate or make a subject and verb agree. And regardless of their other abilities, believe me -- that will be a deal-breaker when they compete for college admissions, better jobs or any other personal advancement.
The ability to write well is a huge advantage when it comes to getting ahead. And any lawmaker who wants to make it tougher for our kids to cultivate that advantage certainly doesn't have their best interests at heart.
I'm Bill Lamb, and that's my...Point of View
