Dear Gia,

I saw your note. You wrote it in the day 2 booklet of your New York State ELA exam under your answer to a really dry Louisa May Alcott passage (even we teachers were bored).

I didn't score your exam. One of the other seven teachers sitting at my table read and scored your test, and she shared with us the note you wrote. I saw that you began your note, "Dear New York State." You explained how hard you tried to answer the question, how you just couldn't make sense of the text, that it wasn't that you were refusing to do your work. You wrote very clearly and sincerely that though you read the passage 10 times, it still didn't make sense to you. You concluded by saying how disappointed you were in yourself, then you signed your name.

Gia, I want you to know that we aren't disappointed in you. In fact, your note moved us. It was sincere, passionate, and personal. It was authentic and thought-provoking. I bet your teacher would be very proud. Your writing moved me to tears; it was the most human thing we read all day.

Gia, I know that you're likely only 12 or 13, but I have some hard news for you: the cards are stacked against you. That passage and many of the others on the test were written above your seventh grade level. The questions were so specific and tricky that many other students scored poorly too.

I want you to know that it's not your fault. Sadly, your teacher will never get to see your test, so he or she will never get to see how you did, nor how he or she can help you improve. Clearly, you wanted very much to do your best and show how smart you are. I bet you've worked hard all year long to learn as much as you could, and if New York State asked your teacher about all of the work you've done, it would be clear that you've grown - so much. I know in my heart this is true. But New York State doesn't give you or your teacher a fair chance to show all the great things you've done together, and unfortunately, that great writing you did at the bottom of the page, bursting with voice, doesn't count toward your or your teacher's score. That's not your fault.

Gia, I hope you get this message, and I hope that you continue being the awesome, hard-working kid you are. Keep taking academic risks, speaking your mind, and doing your very best. You matter. Your learning matters. Even if it doesn't show on the test.