Plymouth, NH – Sept. 18, 2013 the Plymouth State University Smith Recital Hall in the Silver Center, hosted its first Sidore Lecture for the 2013-2014 season. Zak Stein, cofounder of Lectica Inc., a non-profit organization was the speaker for the night. Stein came to Plymouth to present his and his organizations views on standardized testing and the use of psychopharmaceuticals.
PSU Senior Shannon McKane said, “I didn’t really know what to expect going into it but I really learned a lot. I never realized what standardized tests were really used for. Also, I never thought about how all the drugs being prescribed may not be the best thing for our country’s youth. Overall it was an interesting presentation and I’m glad I went.”
An example of psychopharmaceuticals would be the well-known Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) drugs Adderall and Ritalin. Stein posed one of his main points throughout the presentation was that the reason psychopharmaceuticals are prescribed is because the person being prescribed does not fit the standards their educational environment has set as normal and acceptable. He openly asked “Is not doing well in school a medical condition?” and “When is it ok to biologically interfere with someone’s life?”
He discussed how people are being prescribed intense and “biologically altering” drugs that could seriously affect their life. He classified Adderall as a “performance-enhancing drug” and went on to pose the question, “If someone taking those drugs is successful, is their success really theirs?”
Stein’s other main topic in his presentation was about standardized testing. He briefly discussed the history of standardized testing and informed the audience that it was originally used in the military.
He went on to explain how standardized testing is really just a measuring tool used by the government. He pointed out how it takes away from the students because not everyone is the same, and that schools seem to be more focused on the success of the school itself rather than the actual end success of its students.
Plymouth State University’s Chief Public Relations Officer Timothy Kershner said, “Dr. Stein presented an interesting framework for discussing changes our education testing systems. While some measurement of success is needed for schools, few would argue teaching to standardized tests is best for students.
The most important question Dr. Stein raised was ‘Who really benefits from standardized tests?’ And there have been unintended consequences to standardized testing – from teachers and administrators cheating to improve school scores and acquire resources to medicating students so they perform better.”