(February 10, 2000) — Clark students may not realize it, but when they sit down to take the Stanford 9 in April, their scores will greatly impact the school as well as their lives. Clark, as well as all public schools in California, is being ranked by how well its students perform on this highly publicized test. Students who receive high marks on the Stanford 9 may also be given money towards their education if a proposal from Gov. Gray Davis becomes law. Those who are likely to win this merit scholarship would mostly come from middle-class families and are college bound. So is it wise to spend millions of dollars on students who are already going to succeed in life? Even though California is attempting to improve education, it is unlikely that state officials will motivate students to do well on this test by bribing them with dollar bills. The goal may be to make the quality of public schooling better, but all it seems to do is reward students who are already doing well in school. Gov. Davis’ plan is deeply flawed because it does not tend to the needs of the disadvantaged students in California. The money being spent for students who have accomplished a great deal should go elsewhere. California should stop focusing on standardized tests to help build better public school education for all youth.