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Most area juniors received their ACT scores this spring. That day the hallways at Onalaska High School were full of excited students sharing the news.
“What did you get?” “Did you hear so-and-so got that score?”
Once this information had spread, the facts were applied. Students began to associate high scores with high intelligence, and lower scores with just the opposite.
The ACT is a timed test that consists of a number of multiple-choice questions in various categories. Scores are awarded ranging from 1 to 36, corresponding to the number of questions answered correctly. In recent years, such tests have become accepted standard for anyone looking to pursue secondary education.
According to most colleges, scores on the ACT or SAT (a similar test) have a big influence on the application process. The test is professed to be a measurement of a person’s intelligence, a claim that is more or less accepted by a great majority of students and adults.
But is that necessarily true?
I have seen intelligent people receive scores less than they deserve, and in an attempt to avoid sounding judgmental, I would testify to the opposite scenario as well. These misinterpretations happen for many reasons.
Some students bend under the extreme stress of a timed test, while others excel. Some students are well-versed in areas that are not touched on by the tests, such as history. Yet the true failing of the ACT is its inability to differentiate between knowledge and wisdom.
After almost three years of high school, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve memorized formulas ([m-x]/z), grammatical rules (use an apostrophe when “it’s” means “it is”) and constitutional amendments (the 16th is income tax).
All these examples can be cited within the category of knowledge. I’ve certainly put in the elbow grease to learn the stuff. Just because one has the tools for intelligence, however, does not mean one can effectively use or understand them.
Wisdom is much more than the ability to copy and repeat. Wisdom is the desire to learn, the motivation to discover and the willingness to explore beyond the surface. Wisdom is the cultivation of knowledge into something more powerful, whether through diverse discussion or research and experimentation.
I have discovered more about teamwork in a hard day’s work at a La Crescent farm than I could ever gain from a group project. I’ve learned more about the Great Depression in “The Grapes of Wrath” than I ever could from a history textbook summary. The classroom might be a great environment for learning, but it is only the beginning.
While the ACT can certainly be helpful in ascertaining a student’s test-taking ability or time-management skills, it is far from comprehensive. Many of the areas not measured by the ACT are just as important as those that are. To gauge a student’s true level of intelligence, we need to look beyond a test score.
Alex Leslie is a junior at Onalaska High School.
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