Should We Do Nationwide Testing of American Catholic Children?

Whispers noted the largely Catholic Religious Education Congress that is occurring in Los Angeles . See Right By Disneyland, Hooray for "Hollywood" . Good post though I don't agree with his some of his op-ed comments such as
" The atmosphere, in a nutshell, is more liturgical dancing than lingua antica -- reflecting the "big tent" dynamism that's made the Western church the nation's polestar of ecclesial vitality,"

and

"Figures and fireworks aside, just further proof that it's a big church... whose biggest and best stuff mostly lies not at its charged edges, but quietly in the middle."

I think there is a debate if truly much of this is the "middle". For an alternative view see at L.A. Catholic The leafleting at the wREC today was a success

I have been following this conference for years and my major problem is really not because they might have some speakers that are heretics. No the problem I get is the whole sense of denial!!! I have never attended so take my comments with a grain of salt but I have read quite a bit on this conference mainly from it's supporters

The denial is that the knowledge of American Catholics as to their faith is in horrid shape!! This is nothing new either. However the problem seems to be rarely acknowledged or the fact that Bishops , Priests, and yes even Catechists themselves might be to blame. Now I don't put the entire blame on them. Parents are the first teachers but the problem has been going on for so long we have the ignorant teaching the ignorant.

However one gets a sense that many of the experts don't want to look themselves in the mirror and take any responsibility for this.

Now in some ways it is easy to live in this denial because there is no hard data on the problem that can be examined. It is all largely personal experience. This has become a much bigger national problem that requires a concerted American Catholic effort on a national scale. We are no longer a people that will live just in our Diocese for our entire lives. Bad Catholic education in lets say Iowa affects Catholics in Dallas.

Here is a radical proposal for the United States Bishops and the next Religious Conference.

We should have a nation wide Catholic version of the California Achievement Test for all kids in CCD and attending Catholic schools.

I guess they do this in schools still. When I was a kids there were couple of times a year we would all take these kinds of tests so the school and the school systems could see how were doing how were doing. I actually enjoyed. It was 3 or 4 days answering multiple choice questions on things such as Science, Math, and reading skills.

Perhaps the Catholic Catechists would find it worthwhile too see how they were doing!! Needless to say it would not have to be as extensive as in time as an standard achievement test. You could have a some test drawn up by grade level and a kid could do it in a hour or two!!! Send in the results and lets see how we are doing!!

Catholic Bishops would have some pretty good data on their local Parishes. Catholic Parents would have data not only their Parish education results but if their kids are learning their faith at the local Catholic school they are attending. Talk about TRANSPARENCY and ACCOUNTABILITY

I think that would be a wise use of funds and resources to spend for five or six years. It would be nice if in two years at the Education Conference this data could be discussed!! Now that would be interesting. We could see what parishes, schools, and Dicocese are doing well and which ones are not. We then could maybe inquire what the schools that are on the ball are doing.