Do We Need to Be Tested?

In this episode of Wake Up Look Up, Pastor Zach explores the growing debate over standardized testing and what it reveals about our culture's relationship with accountability. Drawing from Proverbs and everyday examples, he argues that evaluation and discipline are not obstacles to growth but essential tools for reaching our potential. He also challenges listeners to embrace accountability in their own lives, recognizing that meaningful growth often comes through being tested.

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Creators and Guests

Host

Zach Weihrauch

Follower of Jesus who has graciously given me a wife to love, children to shepherd, and a church to pastor.

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Check out new episodes of our daily podcast, Wake Up, Look Up, with Zach Weihrauch as he interprets what's happening in our world through the lens of the gospel.

Hello everyone, and thanks for listening to Wake Up, Look Up, a podcast where we connect events happening in real time to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Zach Weihrauch, and in today's episode, we're asking the question, do we need to be tested? This is prompted by an article I read recently in the Atlantic looking at a movement that's happening among University of California and really the larger University of California system. Professors and lecturers arguing that the students they're seeing in their college classes, particularly in math and science, are behind where they should be. And basically what these professors are arguing is that they know the reason for that. The reason is that back in 2020, the school decided to become what's called test blind, so meaning they would no longer use SAT and ACT results to determine if a student would be successful moving forward in college. In other words, you could get into the University of California independent of SAT or ACT scores. the idea of that is that some people believe these tests have inherent biases or because of the school system you came from, maybe you didn't have an equal opportunity to chance. And so we need to do away with testing and use other, maybe softer, more human factors in the admissions process. the consequence of that, at least according to the faculty, is that they're seeing classrooms full of students who simply are not up to the task of doing the work. Universities like mit, Harvard, Stanford, Yale agree. That's why recently they've gone back to using SAT and ACT requirements, saying that they're just too helpful in deciding what, whether or not students would be successful. Now, the reason this is so important is because part of the push away from SAT and ACT is this cultural mindset that it isn't fair to hold students accountable through testing or to hold high school teachers accountable through testing results. The argument goes that the testing is an inadequate indicator of whether or not the work is being done. we don't need test scores to tell us if students are on pace or if teachers are doing their jobs. And I guess that sounded good for the last couple of years until college professors said, actually you do because someone isn't getting the job done. look, this is a larger conversation. I'm not an educator. you may not be an educator. Education is one example of this, because this is a larger conversation about a cultural pushback against accountability. the writer of Proverbs, in Proverbs 12, one says this. Whoever loves discipline, loves knowledge. what he's really saying is that accountability there being a standard at which you're required to meet actually causes a person to grow. What he's saying is that the understanding you're going to be evaluated, the understanding there could be consequences for missing the evaluation and is actually a powerful motivator in the life of a person to drive them forward. In other words, you and I, regardless of field, regardless of area of expertise, need to be tested. Outcome driven growth is an important part of what it means to be human, of what it means to develop. That's true for teachers, that's true for students, that's true for you and I. Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about. Take it out of education. For example. My, my nine year old son has been playing Little League. He's having a great season, his team's having a great season. He's having a lot of fun. Recently though, he had an at bat in which he struck out. No big deal. Everybody strikes out. But as he was walking back to his dugout, all the other parents were yelling at him, encouragement. And they were saying things like, great job, you're doing great. That was fantastic. And I'm sitting there thinking, how is that good news for this kid? If striking out is a great job, what even is the goal? I walked over to the dugout and gave my son a fist bump. And I said, hey, that wasn't a great job. You struck out. And he looked at me and said, I know. And I told him, I said, hey, I believe in you. I've seen you hit the ball. You can hit the ball. So it's, it's okay to strike out. Everybody strikes out. Even in the big leagues, they strike out. But striking out is not a great job. I believe in you too much to say that. And he looked at me and said, thanks, dad. Because even at nine, he understands when you cheer for a kid who strikes out and tell him he did a great job, what you're really saying is we're not sure you're capable of much more. Setting the bar low means people aim low. And it robs the very people who are being, who would have been tested by, of their actual potential. What if we did this instead? What if we said to American teachers and American students and to ourselves, actually, I believe you're capable of great things. Here's a test that establishes whether or not you're hitting those great things. Tell us what you need to get there, to those great things, and then let's celebrate on the back end. What if we said these teachers are great objectively and we need them to train the teachers who are struggling with objectively. Well, then, according to the writer of Proverbs and frankly, according to common sense, we'd be making some actual progress. Listen, you and I need accountability in our lives. Often that accountability comes in the form of a test or an evaluation. But you know what also comes from that? Growth? If you want one, you're going to have to accept the other. Hey, thanks for checking out Wake Up, Look Up. For more content, be sure to visit the Christ Community Chapel app or our website cccapel.com

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