Guessing C for Every Answer Is Now Enough to Pass the NY State Algebra Exam

1. it's trivia nowadays to make sure 25% distribution of answers for MC; and 2. I agree with you, in that the main problem is that you only need 17% to pass, i.e. participation awards

Now, having a single answer being correct often often enough to pass this mark would happen ~47% of the time, but between the blatant irresponsibility with the standard, the fact that C is the more or less the canonical answer to just guess when you don't (this might be regional or whatever), and the exactness of the cutoff, I wouldn't be surprised if this test were intentionally arranged to make specifically the "pick C" strategy a pass either.

What would you do if you were on the state exam board and you realize that your state's education system is failing huge swaths of the kids in your state but then turning it around and saying that's the kids' problem, and there is nothing you can do to actually affect the underlying problem? They don't have the political capital to eliminate the tests entirely because "test scores" so they make them impossible to fail.

Here, straight from the article:

> Unfortunately, this solution is difficult to implement. Implementation is difficult because of all the reasons that drove NYSED off the cliffs of insanity in the first place. Look at the incentives. NYSED and local school districts have large financial incentives to graduate as many students as possible. These incentives were put in place by both federal and state legislators who meant well and were trying to encourage good public school performance (good performance == graduation, of course, in their eyes). Teachers and principals have large quality-of-life incentives to pass students. Failing students brings scrutiny, parent and student complaints, superintendent pressure, guidance counselor inquisitions, paperwork, and meeting after meeting. It’s much easier to pass everyone.

Kids aren't allowed to fail these tests. But when the school system fails, it's the students that are the one holding the bag because their individual responsibility to pass them and so this is the band-aid. And here's the thing, the sky isn't falling due to this band-aid because the test scores were worthless in the first place. Anyone with academic pursuits didn't need the test, and anyone without them also didn't need the test.

[1] I know, bold statement. But as long as students aren't actually getting an education and there's no real motivation to fix it why even bother with the song and dance? Might as well let the kids sleep in and socialize at the pool or a skate park rather than 5 minutes between classes. I have never met a single person who doesn't echo the sentiment of their HS classes being worthless, and I'm no exception. The only lasting "education" I got when I was 16 was teaching myself calc and programming.

Definitely some of the more annoying tests I've taken were when the answers were the same over and over. Its so weird to answer a T/F as T 10 times in a row and I've definitely lost points because I changed some of my Ts to Fs because I thought there was no way it was all Ts.

Mostly this. That said, one definitely picks up when teachers bias the dice.

Some want an even distribution. If you confidently answered C's and D's early on and were later forced between A and C, A was the lucky bet. Other teachers avoided the first and last choices like the plague; this was common. With them, B and C (on a four-choice test) were the lucky bets.