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I think there has always been a significant difference between the AP/College Prep level kids and the "remedial" kids though. I remember being completed astounded when I had to take 12th grade Civics. It was pretty much the only class through all of high school that all levels took together and I hated it. I couldn't believe how unmotivated and "stupid" some of the students in there were.
One thing that does concern me is that, as we move away from being an agricultural and manufacturing society, there are fewer jobs for those who are less intellectually inclined. Yes, we still need carpenters, plumbers, etc., but we have automated a lot of things.
In Michigan, they have replaced the 11th grade statewide test (MEAP) with the ACT and some other subtests that they've made up to supplement it. I think it's ludicrous to have every student in every high school take the ACT. It is standardized for college bound kids. Not all kids are or should be, college bound.
I struggle when talking with a co-worker of mine whose daughter is academically challenged. She has some severe learning disabilities and her mother spends an inordinate amount of time assisting her so that she can keep her head above water. She talks constantly about getting her daughter to do well enough to be able to go to college and is convinced that they will provide a level of support equal to what she now provides for her daughter. I would like to believe that, if it were my daughter, I would focus on her strengths and encourage her to get training in a career that would utilize her strengths, even if it didn't involve college, rather than try to fight the way her brain is wired. I worry that she is setting her daughter up to fail.
Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that there have always been "tiers" of academic achievement. Some people simply aren't at the same level as others. Some can get close through very hard work, but for some, they can learn with very little effort. I don't think that has changed much. What may be changing is how successful one can be if they struggle in an academic setting because there aren't as many well paying jobs available these days for thsoe who aren't well educated.
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