preMEDitated

I just read this from The Wichita Eagle.


Geoffrey Stanford, East Junior High student, encounters an error in a state writing test. Instead of saying, “the emission of greenhouse gases,” the test had a question that said, “the omission of greenhouse gas.”
So he informs his English teacher Jennifer Fry, who int turn informed the district test coordinator, who eventually informed state education officials, who were properly embarrassed as all educators who’ve made such a mistake should be.

Now everyone in the US is hailing this kid as smart, observant, and insightful! Seeing an error in a national test in the Philippines, however, is quite commonplace.
Students around here get to see errors in state tests all the time. This comes as no surprise considering that their textbooks are full of errors. People don’t consider students who see errors here as smart. People consider them average. They, however, consider students who don’t find mistakes in state tests as the opposite of smart.
And as for our national education officials — I can’t confirm if there is any bribery involved, but let’s just say they don’t get embarrassed when errors in tests or textbooks are shown to them.

Sources:
1. Error on state test slips past everyone — except East High student
2. New error-filled textbook bared