Introduction
Standardized tests have been the main method of checking students’ knowledge of a subject for a long time but often fail to be an accurate insight into accumulated knowledge. Overall, tests are inefficient predictors of student abilities as they are inflexible, prone to cheating, and stress-inducing.
Discussion
When debating the effectiveness of tests, opinions differ: some believe that standardized testing leaves no margin for subjectivity, and thus, students are assessed impartially. Others believe it is impossible to evaluate students’ progress adequately through testing. In my opinion, tests are far from being a perfect way of learners’ evaluation due to their rigidity, the fact that they make cheating easier, and contribute to students’ stress.
Tests are known for their lack of flexibility, which makes assessing limited as well. The first problem that can be associated with this aspect is that students’ creativity is not encouraged. If a student thinks originally, they are punished rather than praised. With this kind of rigidity, it is also hard to see whether the student actually understands the material or just memorized what is necessary. The rigidity can cause other problems as well.
As tests are usually rigid, they can also be easy for students to cheat. Some standardized tests are repeated every year, and many students know about this and find questions and answers in advance. In these cases, it is hard for teachers to see whether a student has cheated or not. That is why standardized testing can be ineffective, as it is hard to tell whether the student is independent in completing the test.
Cheating usually takes place due to the fact that students are stressed out by the upcoming test and do not believe that they can pass it. When faced with the inflexibility of tests, students feel like they can only accomplish it a certain way, which gives them anxiety. Many students focus on memorizing instead of understanding as they are scared they will forget some important information. They also feel pressured by teachers and parents to get a certain mark, which makes them dislike learning and school (Willingham, 2021). All these factors affect students’ performance negatively.
Conclusion
To conclude, despite the fact that tests are still the most common learners’ evaluation method, it causes some controversy. Often, it is perceived as the most appropriate way to check knowledge, while others disagree strongly. Due to the fact that tests are rigid, cause children to cheat more often, and make students feel pressured and anxious, they cannot be the best way to track students’ progress in the learning process.
Reference
Willingham, D. T. (2021). Why don’t students like school?: A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works and what it means for the classroom (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.