In my last post I alluded to miraculously (though of course intentionally) doing perfect on a test only to have my score reduced to 0 in what I had assumed was a bureaucratic mix up. In that short time and relying upon unnamed resources I have discovered what actually happened. To properly describe this comedy/tragedy will require some back story so bear with me.
I am taking a math class at what you could call a “jr. college” in american english. Due to various issues I have I was eligible to receive accommodations which included having extra time to take tests. For the most part the accommodations I receive are of dubious usefulness but considering that the result of my issues is more or less writing very slowly and that test results account for something like 90% of the grade this is pretty nice. However as a result of this rather than taking the test in class I have to take my tests in the school’s “testing center” which is used for a variety of things and has absurd security measures.
First of all you tell the administrator your class, teacher, and name which is proven redundant when you are forced to let them examine your ID and enter your student number on a keypad that has no display. Why you have to do both of those things also seems strange, if you have to give them your ID to prove your identity that should be enough. Let me also say that you are not forced to prove your identity at any other time such as class enrollment, advising, payment, or classes so there’s nothing to stop you from sending a proxy even if you have to take your own tests. Why you would do that I have no idea but I’m sure that others have at least attempted it.
So while the clowns were juggling these things I was forced to stand around for about 5 minutes while they decided whether or not I was allowed to use my own pencil before taking the test. Which I did at a glass topped “desk” that has a computer monitor underneath it where your legs should go at an angle which makes it impossible to be seen by anyone other than the person sitting at the desk, and which also makes it impossible for the person sitting there to get comfortable as they can’t get close enough to the desk to do use it as a normal desk. In spite of that I took the test, and I was very confident because I checked my answers and they were right (the good thing about math is being able to do that), and then I had to hand it in. Including my spare work paper, even the page I didn’t mark at all which they also dispose of because heaven forbid you copy the test onto that somehow (dipping your pencil into diluted lemon water that you have in a bottle?) so that the next person can make use of it. Anyway that was fine but then here was the problem, after handing in the test they made me put my student number in again on the keypad. They did not say a single thing to me, took my test, and wished me good day.
I have now found out that I hit the 3 key along with the 2 key without realizing it because I have issues with my hands, thus giving a totally wrong number which somehow invalidates the whole thing. This would not have happened if they had let me confirm my number or if the number was displayed to me somehow before confirming it but they do not do that and you are forced to trust that your hands were sure.
I plan to appeal this gross injustice and will probably be successful in either validating the test I took or being allowed to take a makeup of some sort. If not then I will file suit against them, probably win, and drain the public coffers exponentially not only by my settlement but because such a settlement would force firings, hirings and trainings, and reviews of procedure. For those not familiar with such things a variety of questionable and tragically overpaid independent special consultants will be called in to give opinions, which will be totally ignored by the bureaucrats that couldn’t tell you something as simple as the difference between the formulas for area and volume of a parallelogram (l*w=a squared; l*w*h=v cubed) who get to make the final decision on things. And some even worse new system will be implemented (finger print scanning maybe) instead of simply finding a way to improve the present system that will cost obscene amounts of money to implement. And of course the public will pick up the bill.
Well let us just hope it does not come to that. I would really prefer to just be able to finish my math class with the grade I deserve rather than get a worthless pile of money. But that’s just me eh?
The Sky Before Dawn 