A Change of Schedule

A St. Louis Post-Dispatch article reports on a tactic Wentzville students used to protest their high school’s switch from block to single-period scheduling:

Last spring, some district students filled out their MAP tests with gibberish, while others
simply left them blank. They said they wanted to send a message to administrators about their discontent with a new high school schedule. Administrators said it was unknown how many students intentionally failed the tests.

As usual, education requires the cooperation of those being educated. We see this happen again and again, although it’s usually less dramatic. Kids might ignore their homework, skip school, or stay home on the first day of classes.

In this case, the students found a very effective way to get the administration’s attention. MAP test scores aren’t reported to colleges or scholarship organizations. As one student said, "It was the only type of test that would affect the administration and not us."

Private schools don’t usually have this problem, because families choose to send their kids to them. If they don’t like one aspect of the school, such as the class schedule, they can either put up with it or find another school. But in a public school, many students have few other options. If the school adopts a policy they disagree with, they can’t vote with their feet. So, in this case, they voted with their MAP test scores.