63 pages • 2 hours read
Rob BuyeaThe Perfect Score
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2017A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Series Context: The Perfect Score Trilogy
The Perfect Score is the first book in a three-book series, followed by The Perfect Secret and The Perfect Star. In the first installment, Buyea introduces the five point-of-view characters who stay with readers throughout the next two books, chronicling how these very different kids become the best of friends. The end of The Perfect Score sets up the beginning of The Perfect Secret. Gavin is finally able to play football the following year, but even though he makes the team, the coach refuses to let him play for reasons that he won’t disclose but that threaten to tear Gavin’s family apart. Finally at a good place in her relationship with her mom, Randi attends an elite gymnastics camp, where she uncovers secrets about her past. In The Perfect Score, Scott learns that he isn’t any good at playing football, but in The Perfect Secret, he is sure that he can do their statistics, if the team would just give him a chance. Trevor is grateful that the abuse from his brother has stopped, but when he realizes that he’s the only one who can help his brother now, he’s forced to make a difficult choice. Lastly, Mrs. Woods no longer teaches at the children’s school, but Natalie refuses to let this get in the way of reuniting her with Mrs. Magenta. Where the first book focuses on tests, hence “score” in the title, this installment shows the power of secrets, tackling such issues as young romance, immigration, and racism.
In The Perfect Star, all the children must pull together to remember what’s truly important. In their final year of middle school, Gavin finally gets to play football, but the team is put in jeopardy by an unexpected choice for the new coach. Trevor and Natalie are in a relationship, which puts pressure on Trevor’s longest-standing friendship. Meanwhile, Natalie begins a newscast to tackle important issues at school, including the new football coach and Scott’s plan to defend them, which doesn’t go exactly as planned. Amidst it all, Randi suffers a gymnastics injury, which brings her world to a crashing halt. As with the first two books, Buyea’s title choice with the word “star” shows how the children are coming into their own and becoming the stars of their own lives, as well as what it means when stardom is interrupted. This installment also tackles big topics, such as insurance and healthcare, making the Perfect Score series an example of real-life struggles that children face.
Cultural Context: Standardized Tests
While The Perfect Score addresses many topics including family dynamics, abuse, and the importance of the truth, it is a story about the massive pressure put upon students by the standardized testing system. The CSAs represent similar real-life tests, such as the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills), that test aptitude across classroom subjects, including math, reading comprehension, and writing. These tests are increasingly used in the US to inform policy, education reform, and resource allocation, as well as to rank schools. As of 2015, federal law mandates that 95% of students must participate in standardized tests (Cassada, Kate M. “Standardized Tests Fill K-12 Schools. What Purpose Do They Serve?” Forbes, 25 Oct. 2023).
As Buyea illustrates, for less academically gifted children like Randi and Trevor or children who struggle with reading like Gavin, these tests can be a great source of anxiety. A 2005 study showed that children in third to sixth grade experienced high levels of stress and lowered confidence due to anxiety about tests (Triplett, Cheri Foster, and Mary Alice Barksdale. “Third Through Sixth Graders’ Perceptions of High-Stakes Testing.” Journal of Literacy Research, vol. 37, no. 2, 2005).
Throughout the novel, the children are forced to spend increasingly more time practicing for the tests while other classroom activities and even after-school programs are pushed aside. As a result, they learn nothing but what is on the test, and teachers are unable to do their jobs fully since their only goal is making sure that students pass the tests to show that the school is functioning properly. This is a common complaint among students, parents, and teachers who feel that they “teach to the test” (“What Is Standardized Testing? The Pros and Cons and More.” We Are Teachers,13 Apr. 2023). The teachers such as Mrs. Woods complain about this in The Perfect Score, and the children spend less time on what fulfills them and more time preparing for the test.
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By Rob Buyea
