I don't know if this is controversial or not... but here it goes.
I don't think there should be any form of standardized testing in schools. I think there should be an outline of things to expect students to learn, but I don't think a test is the best way to find out what a student learns. The teacher and student should have a better communication line that they have now. I think if a student can mimic some of the information, tell why its relevant, explain how it can be improved, tell if it is the best way to accomplish a goal, and give other possible examples of the information, then the students understands its application to the subject. Tests make things feel scary. Students can get anxious and end up doing worse, which can affect their self-esteem. I am all for trying to educate students, its kind of the point of schooling; I believe we can come up with a better way than standardized testing. As long as a student understands the material and its function then that should be enough. This has nothing to do with other school work, such as homework/projects and other learning exercises. We should not expect students from such diverse backgrounds, including race, ethnicity, financial standings and so on, to learn the same way.
Possible argument:
Being able to interpret the information doesn't satisfy a students measurement of knowledge. A student who can critically analyze one thing does not mean the student will understand multiple variations of the same scenario. It would take too much time to cover more topics and be this critical about everything. That is why we need to revise the school systems, make some cuts in unimportant subjects (such as fine arts) and focus on the big picture. How else can we critically analyze whether or not a student can retain a potpourri of knowledge? Testing allows teachers to get an effective measurement on how much the student understands the subject being tested. There is no better way than to set high standards and push for all students, to measure up to those standards.
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3 comments:
I agree for the most part. I think that teachers can better measure their students than test but what about the teachers and schools that are slacking? I think standardized test are meant for schools that are not meeting the standards.
Well if that is the case then I think the students should not have to suffer budget cuts because the teachers aren't doing their jobs. How about standardized testing for the teachers?
How do we measure learning and how do we hold those who are responsible for student learning accountable? It seems that we need to figure out a way to pay teachers better and to find a way to get rid of teachers who aren't doing their job. This would be expensive and difficult but I don't think that, although well-intended, the standardized testing process in place now is accomplishing what we hoped it would.
I enjoy reading your ideas and will look forward to reading more of them in the future.'
Dr. Langholz
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