As we discussed in class on Wednesday standardized testing is done quite frequently now, and at a very young age. Children are constantly having test questions thrown at them in class in preparation for the next standardized test. Some children have even become fearful to go to school because of these tests. I don't think test after test is even helping us see if a child really understands the material. I found an article entitled If Not Standardized Tests, Then What? I think this is a really great article because it goes into detail about another issue we talked about in class that if we don't do all these standardized testing how will we know if a student is learning the information.
This article has many suggests one that I really liked was performance assessment. This is where a child can show off what they know. The example given in the article is where a student might do an experiment. I think this is a great way for a student to apply knowledge they have gained in class and expanded it in a project. Here the student is not simple regurgitating information that they had to memorize for a test, but applying and using their knowledge to figure something out. To me this is more meaningful and is having the child think on a higher level than simple bubbling in multiple choice questions.
This being said I don't think that we should completely get rid of standardized testing but I think we do it at an excessive level. I think children should be tested a couple times throughout their whole school career till college. This will allow teachers to see if children are retaining information yet they can use the tests scores as they see fit. This way if some children just simple don't test well the teacher can see that in the classroom. Some children know the information but are just too nervous about what their score on this test will be and how they will be judge to focus on it. What do you guys think about all this?
I absolutely agree with your article! There is entirely too much emphasis put on standardized testing, and what is it really testing anyways? Most children are just trying to memorize information to score well on a test and then forget what they have learned. Whether it is projects or other forms of tests in the classroom, there should be other methods to test the knowledge children are gaining in the classroom. This way, we know that children are acquiring and applying knowledge rather than just memorizing facts for a test. I wonder if this is a plausible idea for teachers as well? Standardized tests are being used to assess teachers, and scores can determine if a teacher gets to keep their salary or even their job. Is there also a teacher edition of, “If Not Standardized Testing, Then What?” This would be an interesting topic to think about.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that it's not necessary for all the emphasis on standardized testing but that some form of assessment is. As teachers, we need to know what the student does and doesn't get. I think projects and experiments are a great way of knowing how well a child understands the material. I think doing those kinds of things are more enjoyable which could also help the student get more from the material. It seems like there are a lot more people against standardized testing than for it, but I don't get how nothing is being done about it. It would be interesting to find who actually thinks standardized testing is more beneficial than negative.
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