Dropping ACT scores? Readers sound off

Last week, officials for the ACT college entrance exam announced that Class of 2018 graduates’ average ACT math score dropped to the lowest level in more than 20 years. Plenty of you commented on our Facebook page — here’s a selection. Your thoughts? Emai

Matthew M. Leclaire: We don’t fund schools. We fund war and the rich.

Terry Verble: We spend more per student than most countries if not all. $$ doesn’t = results.

Ellen McFarland: Teachers are way too busy indoctrinating socialism. No real history being taught and common core is horrible. Especially the math. How about getting back to the basics or have we forgotten what they are?

Rebecca Ann: Teachers did not mandate those things ... the government has. We need better elected officials.

Kara Willemsen: I never took the ACT. I also scored poorly on the SAT yet graduated from an amazing district with Honors. One test score doesn’t define you. I still managed to go on to WSU and graduate from there.

T.j. VanPelt: They are teaching kids how to take tests instead of teaching real-world skills.

Karen White: I think all children should be home schooled and the parents held responsible.

Janet Hammond: Karen White seriously!!! Who is going to support the family while the parent stays home to do this? Children learn social skills in a school environment. They are already isolated enough by technology, let us not make it worse by confining them to a home school environment.

Heather Lynne: It all starts at home! Parents need to step up and be parents and not their children’s buddies. Teachers are there to teach. They are

not there to fill in for the parent’s that lack the ability to be a parent. Parents need to take responsibility at home, single or married.

Robin Davidson Underwood: I believe the problem lies with the parents and schools. We have parents that don’t push their children to do their homework and work on areas that they struggle in. Sevent to eight classes in one day is way too many classes for a student to focus on. Forty-five minutes in a class is not enough time to adequately teach a subject. I feel that four classes a semester is better suited for students. We should also be sending our children to school all year around. Instead of teachers making students study guides, they should be forced to read their textbook and the test should only come from the text unless otherwise stated. We also need to stop the state and national testing. Because of these states and national tests, school are only teaching the test so their schools can receive funding.

Jimmy Rohrer: I would be interested in the test score difference between private and public schools. Perhaps it’s simple as the curriculum being used in each school. I would think that better curriculum, coupled with better student discipline, would equal higher test scores.

JT Tomlin: Because most states (including Ohio) require all kids to take this “college readiness” test and not every kid is going to college ... and also some parents are more willing to hire a hitting coach or a private soccer coach than a private math tutor ... Most ’Mericans values entertainment more than education.

Gene Keesy: Proof positive that we, as a nation, are dummying down. Oh, I believe this began with the generation that started the “our precious child” movement.

Mathew Demers: Society started to worship ignorance.