School test scores are important

The Nov. 1 editorial made an argument that "how well a school system is preparing children to succeed in the work world is never going to come from a test score."

I find this an amazing statement. The world is becoming extremely technical and competitive and most of our students will need significant mental skills in order to succeed. Anyone who has taken tests knows that the more you know, the better your test score will be. It is obvious test scores are a good if imperfect predictor of a student's future success.

The editorial asks: how is it that students can do so well in elementary school testing and yet fall so far behind (students from other countries) a few years later at the high school level? The answer is obvious.

Our schools are not educating students as well as the schools in other countries. This is a bad situation because if our students can't compete worldwide, then their standard of living will decrease.

St. Charles students are being educationally shortchanged. Naperville students average 25.1 on their composite ACT tests and St. Charles students average 22.2. Our new school superintendent should be an expert on how to improve the education of our students.

I am waiting to hear his plans for improving test scores. So far he has implemented an expensive program to ask citizens what they think. I want to know what he thinks.

Gene Kalley

St. Charles