In Massachusetts, students who score in the top quartile of the state standardized test, the MCAS, can get into college for free. Not surprisingly, this has brought out the protestors who are appalled that some of the kids who are smart enough to go to college also have enough money to pay their own way; these protestors miss the point of this "meritocratic" gesture entirely:
Governor Romney touts the program, which is projected to cost taxpayers $34 million annually, as a way to lure more of the state's highest-scoring students, many of whom can afford private school tuition, into its higher education system - and as a way to encourage all students to score better on the exam.
To some legislators and educators, however, the plan would funnel money into the pockets of the very students who least need assistance.
According to a Boston Globe analysis of Department of Education data, the scholarship money will be distributed to far more students in high-income school districts than low-income ones. In the wealthy town of Weston, Mass., for instance, where the median family income is $181,000, nearly two-thirds of high school students would qualify for free tuition at a state school.
By contrast, 3 percent of students in blue-collar Lowell, Mass., score well enough to see the aid.
Expect this to bump up controversy over the MCAS quite a few notches. Sure, the money's not reliant on grades, as in Georgia's flawed HOPE scholarships, but, just as grades can be inflated, test standards can be lowered if there's enough political pressure. Giving money directly to students might avoid the accountability issues with awarding money to schools instead, but when there's tuition riding on the line, there's going to be a lot of complaints that wealthier kids don't deserve this boost, even if they earned it.
Posted by kswygert at July 7, 2004 11:18 AM