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TAKE OUT YOUR PENCILS...

Responding to our Sept. 6 cover story on testing, many readers deplored the emphasis schools place on standardized exams like the SAT. "Our world needs more creative, curious and engaged thinkers, not more people who are good at taking tests," wrote one. "The test can never measure character traits such as determination and a passion for learning," warned another. Still, one correspondent argued that "social mobility is greater with testing than without it." One letter took that thought a step further, suggesting that if U.S. leadership is based on meritocracy, "rather than hounding presidential candidates about past drug use, we should require them to reveal their SAT scores."

Kudos for showing how dangerous these new standardized tests are. As a former English teacher who quit rather than "teach for the tests," I applaud students who refuse to take these exams. Education officials need to find an alternative fast, before our kids grow up with no idea how to think without a No. 2 pencil and a multiple-choice bubble sheet.
Jennifer A. Ellis
Winter Haven, Fla.

Twice in my more than 30-year teaching career, I've seen the educational pendulum swing toward testing. Sure, we can and will adapt so that all of our kids will be "above average." But a test-driven curriculum saddens me because that's all it is. The challenge for teachers of the 21st century is to provide mastery of those necessary test-taking skills without losing sight of our deeper mission. To me, the real work of teaching is to help youngsters discover their strengths, to demonstrate the value of cooperation and to model empathy, imagination and tolerance. After parenting, teaching is the most important thing we can do for the well-being of everyone on this planet.
Judith M. Halley
Brockport, N.Y.