The Lincoln Log

Abraham Lincoln High School tears it up; with the California Standardized Testing (CST) scores, that is. On a government scale of 800 and above, Lincoln currently has a score of 744. Kristin Cacal is very proud to see the Lincoln students’ hard work pay off, especially among the African American subgroup that has struggled to keep good scores in the past. Last year Cacal stressed, again and again, the importance that the test is taken seriously to both teachers and students.

“I think that the CST’s are a good way for teachers to asses how much students have learned and how all teachers are teaching,” says history teacher Valerie Ziegler when asked about how she felt about the importance of the CST’s. Every year the question to why the CST’s are to be taken arises. Some often have the msiconception that it is to ensure that the school and teachers receive more money.

“I think the test should be taken seriously. Doesn’t it help our school receive more money for books and supplies?” asked senior, Yannie Wong.

In reality, Lincoln does not receive any money for its progress on the CST’s at all but it does determine whether Lincoln stays Lincoln.

Currently, Lincoln and most public schools in San Francisco are not controlled by the government itself but by districts such as San Francsco Unified School District. Therefore giving more power to Parent-Teacher Association and school staff. The danger of declining CST scores is that the state will eventually take over, meaning regulation. The CST’s are given by the government to ensure that educators and students, both, are doing their job academically.

If schools fall below certain standards, the government is free to step in and take over our school. Letting the government regulate our school would be an effort to better it, but it would make school a lot more tedious for everyone.

For example, teachers would constantly have to make deadlines and orderly lesson plans which would also means that students would have to reach those stricter deadlines.

“It is a change we don’t want,” says Mrs. Cacal.

If Lincoln continues to do well on the CST’s it will be possible to keep Lincoln the way it is and maybe even benefit from it yourself. Incentives like the Golden State Seal Award is given to students who perform well on the CST’s. Some requirements are that a student must do well on the CST’s in all 4 years of high school but this award could help to get scholarships and also looks good on college applications.