I personally think there are many problems with evaluating students based on their test results. Some students who do very well on tests might actually be the ones who aren't gaining anything from the class. Some students are better at cramming information they know must be memorized and then dumping it from their brain the minute the test is over. Some students might get lucky and just bubble in all the right answers without even studying. Some students might do poorly because it takes them longer to read a problem and they can't finish the test. Some students might know the information but are so worried about the test they can't focus. And lastly, some students might be among the smartest in their school, but if they don't care about the tests they take, they wont apply themselves and show what they know.
However, I still think we need to evaluate students in some way. Students and their parents need to know whether or not they are making progress. I think receiving a grade in a class is great motivation to continue to work hard and take in the information given to you. I recently read an article written by a woman named Lisa Neilsen. In her article she discusses nine ways to access students other than standardized testing and why she came up with them. These alternatives include looking at the student's schoolwork, playing games, creating challenges, earning points, real world work, real world projects, real world accomplishments, personal success plans, and ePortfolios. (http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2012/04/8-ways-to-assess-without-standardized.html)
I think teachers should start to try these ideas or anything else that would promote more open discussion from students (blogging is perfect for this), more creativity, and more personal assignments where a student can thrive and learn about the topics they are interested in.
Thanks for sharing this article! I really like all the ideas the article gives and how there are other thinks you can do than fill in bubbles. My Reading Foundations teacher this semester told us one time how she had a student who needed extra help so she would read the test questions to him and he told her how he was just choosing A then B then C then D every time. Since she had been reading the questions she didn't even realize he was doing that until the end. The teacher knew the student didn't understand the material and figured he wouldn't pass, but since he answered the questions like that he got a passing score. This just goes to show that anyone can guess and fill in bubbles. Standardized testing does not truly evaluate people on their intelligence or abilities. Doing things like the examples in the article do.
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