Kids Can't Write Anymore, Fear The New SAT
Overhype Contributed by Mike on Monday, June 28th, 2004 @ 06:17PM
from the give-'em-a-keyboard dept.
Here's one for all those teachers freaking out when their students hand in a paper written in "txt". Now, those same kids are blaming current school programs for not teaching them how to write properly. The problem is that the new SAT exam includes a written component -- and they do mean written. Students will be expected to pick up a paper and a pencil for the first time in years and actually jot down the essay answer in their very own chicken scratch. Tragically, many of these kids claim they have been using keyboards and keypads for so long, the idea of writing with a pencil scares them silly. They're afraid their handwriting will be so bad that they'll get a bad score. The schools respond that they still teach good penmanship, and seem to think that the kids are just whining excessively. Of course, considering the rest of the exam has been entirely computerized for years, why not just give the kids a keyboard and let them type their essay responses (or, since the kids these days are so into text messaging -- let them text their essays)?
Damn, this is wrong
http://techdirt.com/articles/20040628/1817215.shtml