Although parents, administrators, educators, politicians and adults in general have a responsibility to guide and influence students’ perspective, confidence, skills and sense of self-worth, ultimate decisions belong to students.

Students need to take pride in and responsibility for their work. It is ultimately up to students whether to take the Maine Educational Assessment seriously and competently, no matter how much latitude, support, motivation or advanced teaching is given to them. It is time to teach students one of the most important and necessary skills that can be imparted to them – responsibility.

There is no doubt that the results of the MEA are horrendous.

Only 45 percent of 11th-graders meet the reading performance standard, only 34 percent meet the writing performance standard, 23 percent meet the math performance standard, and 11 percent meet the science performance standard. Overall, the percentage of students who did not meet the standards even partially, as stated in the Maine state results, is an overwhelming 20 to 40 percent, depending on the particular subject.

Although improvements have been made in various schools, there is as much lost ground as gained ground. Obviously, Maine students have a long way to go.

One glance at Magic Morning City Star writer Ken Anderson’s list of the 143 underperforming schools is discouraging. Since very few students take MEAs seriously and write well, the government considers those schools with low MEA scores to be inefficient in teaching the students when, in fact, the MEA may only measure how seriously students regard the test, not what students have learned.

Some would argue that low MEA scores do not reflect the true aptitude and competence of students. This argument is based on the fact that Maine’s National Report Card reports Maine students as more competent and skilled than any other state. However, a look at a sample of MEA writing essays dissolves that idea at once.

In the writing and teaching of writing class held at the University of Maine at Farmington in the fall of 2004, a packet of high school juniors’ MEA writing essays were examined. A writing prompt response from a junior in high school showed simplistic language, simplistic style, very little to no topic development, and the language was too simplistic even to have any standard convention errors. Therefore, according to the MEA standards rubric, the essay was designated a “1” for standard conventions and a “1” for topic/idea development. This is the lowest grade an essay can receive. The author clearly either did not put much effort into this essay or has very poor writing skills, the writing skills of perhaps a fourth- or fifth-grader.

Alarmingly enough, these are the numbers that are translated into the typical “meets standard,” “does not meet standard” language used in MEA results.

A few of the essays in the packet received a “4,” “5” or “6,” but even these are simplistic in language and style and show only some topic development, not the rich topic development and rich language required of a “6” paper. This is the very opposite of what is desirable.

Even more shocking is that some of the essays were clearly not taken seriously. These essays were signed from “Tommy the Cat” or addressed to “Slapstick Sally,” showing a total lack of effort or competence in writing. Only a few students took the writing prompt seriously and wrote well, evaluated as a “4” or “5.” The performance of the average junior in high school on the MEA is horrifying and discouraging. Worst of all, this is common.

These juniors in high school demonstrated a total disregard for the MEA.

Blaming educators, administrators, parents and government officials but not sharing equal blame with students is not only overlooking the obvious, it is doing students a disservice by teaching them to blame others around them for their own failures.

Furthermore, the largest portion of responsibility, and therefore blame, belongs to students.

It is amazing how readily it is acknowledged that students are responsible for behavioral problems and direct violence against society, but it is easy to forget that students are not only responsible for behavior and conduct, both positive and negative, but also attitude.

Students’ blatant disregard of testing, grades or of learning in general is their own responsibility. Parents, administrators and educators may help to form respect for tests and knowledge in students’ early years, but by the time a student is in 11th or 12th grade, the student makes his or her own decisions almost completely on his or her own. The fact is that students often disregard the importance of the MEA.

Until students take responsibility for themselves and take the MEA seriously and prepare themselves, very little can be accomplished.

J’aime M. Verrill, a student at the University of Maine at Farmington, is majoring in secondary education and lives in Auburn.

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