That's a good point--they are still children. I'm the father of an eighth grader and I hope her teachers realize that too. It holds true for my high schoolers as well--until they turn eighteen and magically become adults. Of my kids who've turned eighteen, I've seen no evidence whatsoever of that magic at work.
In the interest of full disclosure, I say this as a Bronx Science grad:
You are right that "colleges don't work that way", but colleges have scores of staffers in their admissions offices who can slog through their more involved applications. Perhaps a more robust application process is in order, but the amount of money needed makes that prohibitive. I daresay the current system works well, Those who don't make the cut but are among the brightest still have a bright future ahead of them.
To clarify:
When I said "Perhaps a more robust application process is in order..." (see above), I was referring to the specialized high schools, not colleges.
life does not work like that either. you don't just take one test and then all of a sudden, you have a job. there are so many factors.
you don't just take one test and then all of a sudden, you have a job
The job market, if anything, can be even more arbitrary and superficial than testing into a specialized high school or applying to college.
Commenting by HaloScan
