Learning to Take Tests

Recently, a number of students were asked what they were learning about in school? Most students responded by saying that they were learning how to take tests, and not much else. This has been an ongoing trend across the US. Assessments have pretty much controlled and influenced what school districts concentrate on. Most of their emphasis is to have higher scores on every assessment every year. Teachers are conditioned to teach to the test and students are conditioned to learn how to take each test, and that's it. Basic skills and knowledge for a solid foundation seem to no longer exist or matter leaving many students to just slip through the cracks, no thanks to No Child Left Behind. Also, physical education has been put to the side which is a crucial part to a childs development. But now without it, students are more lethargic than ever and are exposed to shallow questioning and mechanical drilling. This is leading the educational system on a downward spiral to disaster.

Vocabulary:
1) Shallow- (adj) Having little depth
2) Mechanical- (adj) of or relating to machinery or tools
3) Exposed- (adj) Opened to view
4) Lethargic- (adj) Sluggish, tired
5) Emphasis-(N) Consideration of something or insistence on something

1) Her weaknesses were ______________.
2) Be careful at the pool. It is very _____________.
3) Don't put too much __________ on grammar.
4) She seemed very _____________ today.
5) The movements of the pitcher were very ______________.

Grammar Point:
Adjectives are often called "describing words" because they provide information about the qualities of something described in a noun, a noun phrase, or clause.