The Nature and Role of High School Reading and Language Competency Tests in Today\u27s Society

During the past several years a sizable segment of the general public has expressed varying degrees of dissatisfaction with the overall academic skills demonstrated by graduates of public and private high schools. According to some reports, scores on national achievement tests relating to reading achievement have been decreasing in many areas of the United States and various colleges and universities such as Stanford have found it necessary to implement massive remedial programs for freshman students in the basic skills areas. Several recent newspaper accounts reveal that the results obtained from different public surveys indicate that a significant percentage of the adult population of the United States suffers from problems related to such everyday tasks as reading a recipe, completing a Social Security application, and passing a written driver\u27s test. It is not difficult to understand the results from a recent Gallup Poll of Public Attitudes Toward The Public Schools which indicated that 65 percent of the general United States populace believes that all high school students should be required to successfully complete a standard national achievement test before a diploma is awarded