Today I Realized,

Today I realized how much I despise the educational system. You take standardized test all the time, such as: SAT, ACT, the Constitution Test, etc. Yet, the state of Illinois DOES NOT require you to take the writing portion of the ACT. Why, you ask? Isn't the writing portion something essential to getting in to most U.S. colleges? Yes, yes it is. Then Y U NO TAKE ESSAY? The state can't afford people to grade them. Let that soak in, we are THAT FAR IN DEBT that we do not have enough money to pay people to take time out of their day to grade five-paragraph essays for a few hours. In my Advanced Composition class today, led by one of my favorite teachers Mr. Tom Davies, we discussed this. I was almost outraged when I learned that after four required years of learning the English language and all of its quirks, I was not going to be taking the most important part of the ACT because the state didn't have enough money to do so. We were also handed an article, detailing the progression of SAT/ACT essay grading. The student is given the test, with a prompt they have no previous knowledge of the idea they are to be given. They have 25-30 minutes to write a full fledged essay, in which they have no scrap paper to organize their thoughts. The test is then finished, and they then go to the graders. The graders are given all these essays, and you expect them to look over them fully correct? False. The graders are given a maximum of three minutes. THREE MINUTES. The average grader finishes 20 in one hour. And they get an extra bonus if they finish 30 or more in an hour. Meaning each essay is graded in two minutes MAXIMUM. This enrages me. Excuse me while I go burn through some math and science homework to get Illinois view of writing out of my mind.