The sixth State of the Union address on Jan 20 by US President Barack Obama, which covered American domestic and foreign affairs, was the most important speech of the president after his inaugural address. On education, he said: “We believed we could prepare our kids for a more competitive world. And today, our younger students have earned the highest math and reading scores on record.”

Obama’s statement might have confused Chinese parents who have over the years been “brainwashed” by some Chinese education experts that children’s scores don’t matter that much. With a semester in elementary and middle schools nearing its end, parents might be wondering whether or not scores matter, and if not, why did the US president use American students’ scores as proof of the improvement in the country’s education.

There are several ways to explain the functions of scores. First, with limited quality education resources and limited number of students who can enroll in key schools, there should be a standard to decide who gets admitted, and hence the need for exams and scores.

Besides, given the difference in intelligence among different students, it is apt that exceptionally talented students receive education that suits their intellectual levels. If children with exceptional intelligence can understand what a teacher teaches in 5 minutes, they need not sit with classmates of normal intelligence for longer periods, because it would be a huge waste of time for them.

In this sense, anyone who tells parents that score don’t matter is simply being irresponsible. On one hand, Chinese people want their children to enter prestigious universities to heighten the chances of achieving a brighter future. On the other hand, many parents don’t have the resources to send their children to private or foreign institutions for higher studies in case they fail the regular college entrance exam.

Exam scores have another function, which is to evaluate. For example, students can take certain exams to evaluate their knowledge, and not to enter an institution of higher learning. Such exams are also used to evaluate the quality of teachers.