PSSA Day!

Dear Students,

The American Dream will become one step harder for you today. No longer can you work your way to success no matter what your background because today you will take the PSSA test. Your parents and teachers will receive a report giving you a label of advanced, proficient, basic, or below basic. Your classes will be picked for you based on this label. Consequently, your career choice will be narrowed based on this one test. Your educational experience already has been narrowed so that you can prepare for these few hours. Some of you will have recess, art, and music taken away to help you score well on this test. Your written answers will be analyzed by "readers" that have their own opinions resulting in a score received that may or may not be fair. A true American trait of "thinking outside of the box" and individuality will be demolished as you and everyone else must see the same thing in poetry and stories. Instead of going outside and figuring out how high your school is based on mathematics and formulas, you will stay inside and continue to fill in bubbles. You may work hard in school and get decent grades, but still the PSSA test will be more important. You may be a powerful speaker, be able to deal with people well, be good at driving, be dependable, and be compassionate or any number of other important life skills. Yet, the PSSA test does not take these into account. Your label will be stamped on your file, just as a post office stamps each letter with a postmark. Students, please do not carry the label around on your person and do not let it interfere with the American Dream. Your life is your own, your education is your entitlement. Let your government know that you demand more from them than a stamp from one test.