The Dilemma of Building Diversity at MLWGS

“I just wish this school was more diverse,” a friend casually said to me this year. Hearing this, I realized that I had never noticed that the student body lacked diversity. Intrigued, I searched this up and found articles written by The Richmond Times-Dispatch covering current diversity and inclusion efforts at Maggie Walker. 

This year, there was an increase in overall diversity due to two reasons: a new selection process and the removal of standardized tests. 

The new selection process, currently only used by some counties, such as Chesterfield and Henrico, consists of two phases. The first phase guarantees one slot for every middle school in the county. During the second phase, the top students in the county receive the remaining slots. Other counties that feed into Maggie Walker are currently debating over including this system in their selection process. 

In addition to the new selection process, last year, standardized testing was waived as part of the admissions system due to challenges related to the ongoing pandemic. The removal of testing appeared to increase diversity in the student body, but further action is needed because the improvement was marginal. Therefore, I believe that something else needs to replace these standardized tests. 

Currently, scores from several standardized tests, a writing sample, teacher recommendations, grades, and rigor are considered. However, standardized tests make up half the final score for each student. Therefore, this method is not acceptable. 

Standardized testing does not fully evaluate a student’s current academic performance and ability to grow academically. Instead, it is a contest for students to test their memorization skills, and some students’ socioeconomic status gave them an unfair boost. A study in 2013 in the National Library of Medicine led by Carolyn Letts found that a high socioeconomic status, which affords the luxury of writing tutors and professional test prep, is highly correlated with standardized test scores. Furthermore, these tests have racist roots. Eugenicist Carl Brigham, who created the SAT, was a white supremacist who warned people against the “promiscuous intermingling” of different races. 

However, while researching, I found one promising alternative to standardized testing: portfolio-based assessments. 

Portfolio-based assessments fully measure each student in all their core subjects. At the end of each year, the student’s teachers will collect some of the student’s work and send it to scorers for review. The scorers will assess the student’s growth and ability throughout their middle school years and formulate a section score that will be part of their final score. I acknowledge that this system is complex and may be difficult to implement at first, but it is a better option than standardized testing. 

I genuinely believe in abolishing standardized testing and replacing it with portfolio-based assessments. It may just be the long-awaited solution to Maggie Walker’s troubles with diversity, alongside the new two-phase selection process. 

A solution is more than just a solution. It evokes. It inspires. It changes what needs to be changed.