The PSAT, SAT, ACT, and SOL are just some of the tests that make up each of our futures. These tests determine our fate. Isn't this a lot of pressure, put upon the testing systems for each student to succeed? In the same aspect of it is this is all we are learned to prepare for. When the society is solely biased upon passing these tests or scoring in the highest percentile, we forget the purpose of the actual learning. Do we even learn in the end or do we just shove facts upon facts into our brains that eventually disappear in a few years to come.
In one of my classes a few days ago, my history teacher exclaimed that for the next two weeks we will be running a sprint for obtaining information for the midterm. In fact he said "it doesn't matter that you learn, what matters is that all of you pass the midterm." This is what the school system is composed of, tests, tests, and more tests. We are so prepared to memorize information that we "need" to know instead of understanding any of it. If this is the purpose of the schooling system, something needs to be fixed.
Standardized testing has been a part of the school system for centuries. Michelle Rhee published an article in 2010 on the fact that public schools and teachers make the system only based upon tests that will determine our grade, eventually determining our GPA and then our colleges we may attend. In a recent study done on standardized testing, it is proven that scores have not improved students achievement. Standardized testing in the public school system is the focal point in the understanding of knowledge in each subject, but do we actually obtain information. In some ways the test can prepare the students for college and advanced level classes but in the way we approach these tests, it can be misleading to both the students and the teachers.
Although these tests are the only way we have ever done anything in order to determine the placement and understanding of each student. This has been a long standing controversy and I feel the tests are beneficial, but sometimes the ultimate goals of the teachers are only to get each student to pass, when ideally the ultimate goal in the end should be how much each student was able to actually learn in the class. When something is tried to be done in mass amounts, there will always be flaws in part of it, but some flaws are much bigger than a simple fix, but a truly messed up side of it.
I completely agree with this. We are taught just to memorize things and we never actually learn which can be proven when it comes to taking exams, Most students need to reteach everything they learned before an exam because we never actually learned the material, we just memorized for the time being until we take the test. I think the school system should focus more on actually teaching us than worrying so much about our grades that they cheat us out of gaining knowledge. A lot of pressure also come along with all those huge exams that in fact determine our future! Basically what we have learned is that the better we are at memorizing things, the better chances we will have at getting a good grade.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post. Teachers are often too focused on getting students to a certain point, rather then making sure the students truly understand the subject. I believe this is why they are taking away midterms next year... Because it is not beneficial, and often brings students grades down, rather then help them. While i do believe tests are somewhat necessary in order to show that someone truly knows the subject, i believe that should be at the end, and teachers should be allowed plenty of time to do whole reviews.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely! The tests really aren’t a representation of how much you’ve learned, but how much you can memorize the night before. They only test you on facts and not how you can put them to use. If they really want to see how much we have learned and how much we actually understand they need to change the questions. I know the APUSH the tests have fact based questions, but also stimulus based questions. The stimulus based questions usually include a passage, and a question that cause you to use your understanding of the knowledge to determine what is happening and then answer the question. Just having a fact based test doesn’t really show what you know. It also puts a lot of stress on students to have all of the tests in one week and twice a day, especially when it is worth 20% of your grade. The tests are not easy to begin with; the stress just makes it even more difficult. It seems unreasonable to give an exam that inaccurately tests us on what we know.
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