FTE "On Call" Blog

Trace Haythorn

Former President, The Fund for Theological Education

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April 15, 2009

So much more than the test

As we enjoy the beautiful explosion of color from all of the flowers in Georgia, our children are beginning the annual process of standardized testing. The CRCT is administered to all children enrolled in public schools, and for many children, parents, teachers and administrators this is a season of great anxiety. The test scores can determine everything from academic promotion to school funding. And there’s almost no room for individuality, creativity or grace.

While I am a strong proponent of accountability and assessment in education, one-size-fits-all tests rarely measure either. A high score does not necessarily mean that one is intellectually exceptional; it may simply indicate that a student is a gifted test taker (or got lucky on a lot of multiple choice questions).

What is academic excellence, and how do we account for it across cultural, geographic, racial and other demographic categories? We wrestle with those questions at FTE, largely because we do not believe the church needs pastors who are simply good test takers, nor do we need professors who excel at objectifying knowledge. When we think about excellence, we have plenty of living examples of Fellows who in their life and practice reveal the kinds of integration, sensitivity, creativity and passion that no standardized test will ever adequately capture.

In our societal efforts to try and account for meaningful standards, we all too quickly lose sight of what we have experienced as excellence. We hope you browse our Web site and run across one or two of the over 6,000 FTE Fellows who we think define excellence.