Two quotes from The Baltimore Sun were of high interest to me: “A stubborn achievement gap [as reported on the PARCC tests] has persisted over the years between students of different racial groups ... [that] leaves a roughly 30% gap between those students and white students” (”Baltimore schools show uptick in PARCC test results, but the region’s outer suburbs still score much higher," Aug. 28). And in reference to the article on the exam for police officer recruits: “The second part [of the exam] has 85 questions on reading comprehension, logical ordering, writing and grammar, and data interpretation” (“U.S. Department of Justice sues Baltimore County over alleged racial discrimination in police department hiring,” Aug. 27).
It would seem that the Department of Justice doesn’t see a connection between the two tests. The PARCC test is promoted as assessing a student’s readiness for college or a career. It seems that the real issue here is not discrimination but one of diversity in the police force. And Baltimore County wants to address the issue of diversity by changing the test and not addressing the bigger issue of why there is a persistent achievement gap between racial groups in the public schools. Furthermore, I reject the notion that “reading, grammar, logic and other skills” are not related to the job of being a police officer.
Although diversity is important in the police force, being qualified for the job is of even greater importance.
Robert Jervis, Pasadena
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