Tests score students’ knowledge, not principal

A Jan. 9 guest column by Dick Frederick simplied that Washington High School Principal Plagman was untruthful about test scores and the intelligence of the students through “dumbed-down tests and test-taking gimmicks.” The scores students at Washington receive are hard-earned. Students work hard and are taught by brilliant teachers, some of whom have received national recognition.

There may be incentives for students to do well on tests, but those do not make the students any less intelligent. With or without the incentives, the students would score the same. It's their knowledge that is being evaluated, not Dr. Plagman's.

Fredericks seemed to be attempting to put the problems of the U.S. education system on Dr. Plagman's shoulders. He is striving to give his students the best education he can. That is why Washington High School ranked 375 out of 1,623 schools in 2010 in Newsweek's America's Best High Schools.

Fredericks should check his facts before passing judgment.

Hannah Philgreen

Lisbon