Parent Resources—Articles

PEERS Test Reveals Students' Downhill Slide Into Humanism
by Pat Centner
PCA News

The Nehemiah Institute, based in Aberdeen, South Dakota, has compiled some information that will likely cause grave concern for Christian parents of students attending both public and Christian schools.

For the past 15 years the Institute has conducted "PEERS tests in Christian schools, churches, home schools and other Christian ministries The test measures students understanding in politics, economics, education, religion, and social issues, from which the test gets its name.

According to Dan Smithwick, Institute president, the PEERS test was designed with input from Christian scholars, and testing norms were developed from the results of more than 10,000 participants over a 13- year period. The tests are administered primarily to high school students in three basic groups: those in "worldview" schools (where there is an emphasis on apologetics and worldview instruction); those in typical Christian schools; and those from Christian homes who attend public schools. The test results are classified into one of four major worldview philosophies: Christian Theism, Moderate Christian, Secular Humanism and Socialism.

Smithwick said it was common in the mid-1980s for Christian students in both Christian and public schools to score in the Moderate Christian worldview classification, with home school students scoring 15-20% higher than the average. But since then, scores have declined.

Christian parents may be stunned to learn that Christian students in public schools are now scoring in the lower half of Secular Humanism, while students from Christian schools are scoring just below the minimum score to be rated in the Moderate Christian worldview.

Christian schools with specific worldview materials in their curriculum were the only exception to the decline, said Smithwick. These schools are typically known as Principle Approach or Classical Christian. Home schools were also a part of this mix. Unfortunately, these students represented only 5% of total students tested.

This remnant, Smithwick believes, is our country's only hope for the future. He warned that if the decline continues at the same rate, the evangelical public school students will fall to socialism in 2014, while modern-day Christian school students will land there four years later.

Smithwick recommends that Christian schools, home schools, and churches become aware of the worldview held by students in their classes and Bible studies. The PEERS test can help make that determination, and once data is gathered and appraised, training materials specifically written with an emphasis on a biblical worldview are available from the Institute.

One special study booklet, Teachers, Curriculum, Control: A World of Difference in Public and Christian Schools, explains in objective and scientific means just how important worldview training is to educators.

"This particular study shows how every education program operates from some worldview philosophy," Smithwick explains, "and demonstrates how public school youth, even from Christian homes, are adopting secular and Socialist views of life to a very high degree.' It also begs the question, says Smithwick, for Christian parents with kids attending public schools—is that the best place for them to be?

Other training materials include a student workbook and teacher's guide entitled Developing a Biblical Worldview. This study follows the PEERS test and consists of ten lessons on worldview understanding. Included is a lesson on the Christian heritage of our nation.

Pat Centner is a Staff Writer for AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. More information about the Nehemiah Institute is available at 1-800-948-3101. For more articles like this go to PCANews.