A revisionist view on history tests

An Inquirer article reported that only 13 percent of the high school seniors who took the National Assessment of Educational Progress in history “showed a solid grasp of the subject.” Okay, but who decides what constitutes a “solid grasp”?

Philadelphia Inquirer, July 20, 2011

The recently released findings of the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress provided another opportunity for the usual hand-wringing about how little American kids know about American history these days. An Inquirer article reported that only 13 percent of the high school seniors who took the test “showed a solid grasp of the subject.”

Sounds dismal. But before we give up on this generation, we should ask ourselves a few questions. Continue reading “A revisionist view on history tests”