I think you missed the entire point if that’s what you think I was writing about. His direct quote indicated he didn’t know any of the answers. That he got 17% was merely the result of guessing on some.

Yup … point missed. In the original articles, which were about whether there was actual utility to these tests, the author left the board member anonymous. After it’s first publication, he came forward and revealed his identity and educational background to make the point that these tests obviously weren’t an indicator of lifelong comprehension and that perhaps students were being disserviced by being held back from opportunities using himself as an example.

Personally, I can see the point. While the environment I work in, people have not lost their mathematical edge but I wouldn’t be surprised if they would completely fail a high school test in history, language arts, etc. You don’t use it … you lose it. I would probably stare at the integral of an inverse cosine x squared and be frustrated knowing I used to know what that was … but have no idea what it is anymore. I don’t think forgetting things you don’t use ought to be reason to call somebody a coddled dumb bastard.

It may even be practicality that got him where he is. I certainly know plenty of book brilliant people that can’t find their way out of a paper bag … would you rather have somebody like that teaching your kids?