Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the Senate on September 24, 2007

Click here to view bill details.

This is an idea whose time has come. Some people don't realize that in order for a subject to be important it does not have to be tested. Let the subject matter stand on its own and stop wasting tax payer money.

As schools see more and more emphasis put on scores and Adequate Yearly Progress, they devote more and more resources to those classes which are tested. The only way to make sure that Social Studies receieves the attention it deserves is to ensure it remains on the MME test. Otherwise it will get reduced within many curriculums. Lack of social studies classes make poor citizens, and poor citizens make poor democracies.

If we don't have an informed electorate, we won't have a democracy/republic worth having. Public schools were formed to create that informed electorate and removing Social Studies from the testing removes it from instruction. Like it or not, what gets tested gets taught. Michigan could actually stay in the lead across the nation by continuing to teach as well as test Social Studies.

Regardless of whether or not a subject is tested, it is still important. Social studies is the collection of knowledge that our society passes down from one generation to the next, and it's extremely important that we continue to pass that knowledge on and create worldly citizens who can fit in and function in a global society. Teachers will continue to teach social studies at all levels but students aren't stupid - they see what legislators value by what they put the money behind: math and reading. At my school, they ignored the social studies part of the MEAP test for years b/c it wasn't part of the MME. We'd have 70-90% attendance for the rest of the exam and maybe 5-10 kids show up the social studies test (that's not 5-10%). One final thought: social studies continues to be one of the least funded major core subjects in America at the federal and state levels. We're not wasting money on it, b/c our politicians have deemed it not worthy enough to spend money on it.

"Teachers will continue to teach social studies at all levels" They don't teach it now. "One final thought: social studies continues to be one of the least funded major core subjects in America" you indoctrinators are "funded" to the tune of about 10 grand of OUR MONEY per kid. If you can't teach them all they need to know with this amout of "funding" then we need to send you guys back to the real world and find some folks that can get the job done.

Please do not do this. When we have articles in the news telling us that graduates from Harvard cannot even tell their own Bill of Rights or answer questions about their own government, it makes it even more critical to keep this component. I realize it is a matter of dollars but you need to shorten the test in other areas and keep all areas covered. If our goal is to have informed citizens we are very much a part of the process. This shows a devaluation of that idea.

The United States has become the laughingstock of the world with the idiotic ideas some of our citizens have about world geography, civics, and our own history. Ending the social studies test will validate this ignorance by proving it isn't as important as the core areas that are tested. It's time to demand MORE, not LESS from our students.