by Marshall Chisholm

Created on: April 24, 2008   Last Updated: April 25, 2008

Many of you reading this are most likely out of high school. I however am still currently finishing my years in high school. I would like to present you with a problem that may not be apparent to you, however is painstakingly obvious to me. High school reading standards have horribly deteriorated over the past several decades. To put it a bluntly as possible, the literacy level of high schools stink.

I do not speak of students who cannot read, our schools have at least done a well enough job on that; I speak of the low grade school reading and writing level they exhibit. I am a senior in high school, yet i have peers that still write as though they were level with Dr. Seuss works, need i even begin to mention their obvious lack of personal reading. Books have been replaced by video games. I do not blame any gaming company, I myself have a Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii, however modesty is a critical virtue for these pastimes. Video games are proven to heighten reaction time and awareness levels (for more information visit http://sunsdotnet.blogspot.com/2008/03/benefits-of-v ideo-games.html and the links it provides)
Yet they also are a form of addiction and mental deterioration. Books however heighten the mind's vocabulary and imaginative horizons. Reading provides a healthier non-addictive method to escape reality or even gain a better grasp of it.

A nation-wide survey taken in 2006 stated that more than 8 million US students in grades 4-12 struggle to read, write, and comprehend adequately. Another survey taken in 2003 revealed only 3/4 of students graduated in 4 years.(http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Literacy/stats.asp ). Now there is no easy way to issue a survey, especially one as specific as a vocabulary test, yet I challenge any one of you to become a member of turnitin.com and review high school papers. If you review a high school paper that has been posted on a random site on the internet, chances are because it was a really well formalized and delivered work, a document that was exceptional and the writer was comfortable enough to post it for the public. However if you find a way to see the less reputable works that are being submitted, you will be alarmed at the level of plagiarism present and the lack of higher reading level words. In short, a real high school level paper is a maladroit scribble, a truly fulsome piece to read for any competent scholar or fervid reader.

Plagiarism is another systemic problem for high school writers. On October 15th, 2005, the

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