Preview

Exams Give No Real Indication of Ability

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
454 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Exams Give No Real Indication of Ability
exams give no real indication of ability

How can a standardized exam be a a true and appropriate indication of every students' ability to retain the knowledge taught for the exam?

Some students have photographic memories, some students are amazing with memorization, some students can study for weeks and not understand anything, some students learn so much better with the hands on approach, others do better by simply reading.

Every person is unique in their own way and that's what makes us human, so how can educators expect standard exams to be the best possible indication of an individual's ability to retain knowledge?

Exams cant gauge how good a person you are, how ready and willing you are to learn and whether you have the ability to inspire those around you.

In an educational sense i think an interview is more important. it allows you to show what kinda of person and therfore what kind of student you will be as well as how smart you are in terms of ability to adapt and solve problems not just memorize answers and theories.

Also throughout history there are many cases of brilliant people who did poorly in school but later in their life they were realy succsessful . For example Albert Einstein

Most of us take Einstein's name as synonymous with genius, but he didn't always show such promise. he did not speak until he was four and did not read until he was seven, causing his teachers and parents to think he was mentally handicapped, slow and anti-social. Eventually, he was expelled from school. It might have taken him a bit longer, but most people would agree that he caught on pretty well in the end, winning the Nobel Prize and changing the face of modern physics.

Also Thomas Edison
In his early years, teachers told Edison he was "too stupid to learn anything."

Sometimes school can be more like an endourence contest than an education process and people need space and time to allow the things they learn to thrive.
You cant measure

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Standardized test overlooks what I consider an important point about one's display of classroom success. Nonetheless, Subotnik's statement that standardized testing is "still" the only leading predictor of a successful higher education intrigues me. Subotnik brings to light that standardized tests provide each student with equal chances. Furthermore, students are placed in the exact room along with the exact questions and are given the exact amount of time to answer. Of course, many will probably disagree on the grounds that every test taker differ and what will take some five minutes to answer may take others 20. Although I grant that this is equal, I still maintain that it is not…

    • 366 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The information that they know might be different from what’s on the test or they might not be familiar with certain information of the test since they’ve never heard of it, and so they lose points for something they had no control over. In the article ‘Standardized Testing: Good point and Bad’ Maggie says that a 5th grader she tutored didn’t know what a recipe was and if a test were to ask or mention a recipe she would be at a disadvantage, because most 5th graders know what that is. There’s no way of knowing for sure that every child being tested has the amount of background knowledge needed for the test (Margie, 1). It’s not that the students aren’t smart enough, it’s just that not all of them will know key information needed for the test. In the article ’12 Vital Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing’ it says that there isn’t a test that can address all he factors that accurately measure what’s been learned. There’s no way to adequately compare the types of knowledge that each child has about a subject especially when their environments are different and so the students are more likely to retain information most important to them. Students socioeconomic class, different cultural background, and their geographical locations all factor into ow well they would do on the test (Lombardo, 1). There’s no way students know all the information needed from the test, but this doesn’t mean they’re not smart it just means they haven’t heard of it before, and so their abilities shouldn’t be looked down on because of…

    • 1419 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The current period of learning is being determined by standardized testing, and has become the main focus of many arguments within the education system. Students all over the United States are being subjected to standardized tests often throughout their years in school due to legislation that has been set by Government over the past several years. While there are many upsides to the reasons for these assessments, there are also negative effects of this. Students are expected to make a certain score on tests to get to where they want to go. It is an unfair advantage for people who can pay their way through their education. From Star testing in grade school to the ACT and SAT in high school, students are “taught to the test” (Meador 1). Although it does give students and teachers initiative to work for something, Standardized tests are an unfair measure of students’ thinking level and academic performance; therefore, this must be changed. Standardized Testing must be changed because they are unreasonable, inefficient, and it puts a lot of extreme pressure on both the students and the teachers.…

    • 1330 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    These tests do not force students to think on their own. They are not expanding their knowledge, rather they are memorizing information that they know will be on the test. Standardized tests need to force students to learn the…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    His IQ (intelligence quotient) was one hundred sixty. A normal IQ ranges from about eighty five to one hundred fifteen according to the Stanford-Binet test. At the age of only twenty-six, Einstein had already came up with the quantum theory of light, the theory of special relativity, and he proved the existence of atoms. Einstein had come up with many of his own theories and society didn't agree with him because it was different from the way they did things. They looked down on him because of the way he rebelled.…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Classroom Ethnography

    • 1502 Words
    • 7 Pages

    I remember stressing about test throughout school, and then college. My students’ main focus should be learning and fully understanding the information, instead of learning how to master a test. I have seen throughout the years how much emphases are but on these standardized test or test in general. I do feel that assessments are important, but I do feel that formative assessments are more beneficial to me. I want to know that my students understand the information while I am teaching, instead of two weeks later when they are tested on a whole chapter or unit. Most states are given standardized and I will prepare my students for the test, but I want to focus mostly on the content and not stressing them out over a test. Some students aren’t very good test takers, which I wasn’t one when I was growing up either. I can relate to students who know the information but freeze up when they take a test. When I create my syllabus I will rate my summative test as my least percentage for their grade. I want them to know that homework, practice, projects, and participation are really important. If I have students that are really smart, they may not feel the need to participate in class and on projects because they know they will ace the test. On the other hand I may have students trying their best at participating and completing homework assignments, but just perform poorly on test. If my expectations are high of them when…

    • 1502 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Standardized tests are not a good representation of a student’s overall ability. Some students are intellectually gifted while other students may be artistically inclined. There are still other students who may do poorly math and science but excel in computer graphics or auto mechanics. Those who oppose my argument feel that tests show what a student knows. This is not all false, but students who show their…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Not all students will be able to comprehend and/or learn concepts as well as others. Standardized tests do not portray real-life skills. Teachers are straying from actually doing what they can to help students explore their brain’s full potential and focusing on overachieving competitors’ test scores. Schools need to focus on each individual and their natural born skills, harvest them, and allow them to grow and unravel for them to succeed in whatever field of work they choose to…

    • 1284 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Standardized testing is not the best way to measure how well a teacher teaches or how much a student has learned. Schools throughout the United States put their main focus on standardized tests; these examinations put too much stress on the teachers and students and cause traumatizing events.…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    However, others will pull their hair out and bend their mind backwards trying desperately to conjure up another plan for the not-so distant future. ACT, SAT, and other standardized tests ultimately decide every student's educational future. As humans age and mature, we come to realise that tests such as these are becoming over used. However, many schools and colleges use standardised testing to demonstrate how brilliant their students are. Consequently, there are many factors that cause standardized testing to not only show false views on students intelligence, but some of the factors even have shown that they are an inadequate approach to showing true brilliance. The question that arises from this is: are standardized tests necessary for schools and colleges to…

    • 289 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Around the world, most schools and institutes use standardized testing. These standardized testing questions consist of multiple choice, and/or true or false questions. They test your knowledge to the limit and are provided to give students the opportunity to express their full knowledge and ability. This all happens in a timed situation, making students think critically and quickly. Although schools make students take these tests, it does not measure a student’s academic success, potential, and capability…

    • 1830 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Experience and research has shown that standardized testing can measure students skill and understanding because they are comprehensive when it comes down to testing. A student's performance is crucial for a higher level education. Colleges and graduate programs require students to have basic learning skills to succeed. Standardized testing helps with knowledge and understanding but it doesn’t teach the basic attributes that everyone should know and have.…

    • 511 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Often, students who usually excel in school struggle with standardized tests. Standardized tests are more of a representation of how well you take tests and can manage your time, not how much you know. To do well on this test, one must take it many times and learn how the makers of the test want you to answer it. Giving this, the test matches your aptitude of one day rather than academic progress, which is more important. It is stated, “With respect to education assessment, reliability equals consistency” (Popham and Streetman) which makes standardized tests unreliable because of the fluctuation from test to test .The conditions in which you take your test may affect how well you score. The rooms you are placed in may be too cold or too hot and this can affect your ability to focus. You may be put in a room that is full with people and this can be distracting. Students are forced to sit in a room for almost five hours with one fifteen-minute break. It is even possible to be sat so close to someone that you are able to see their answers, which causes people to cheat and get scores they do not deserve. It is not a true assessment of knowledge unless the test is administered exactly the same throughout the nation (Streetman). Not only is the ACT and SAT not reliable, it is also tested on irrelevant material that is not vital…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Standardized tests have been used for many years as a measure to gauge the academic achievement of students and schools nationwide. In theory, standardized tests are appealing, but in reality, they fail to adequately determine how much a child has actually learned. With this being said, scores also greatly underestimate the effectiveness of schools. Therefore, because of the countless flaws and deceptive interpretations, standardized tests should be banned. I. To begin, standardized test scores do not accurately measure what has been learned.…

    • 2085 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Are you one of the many students who cram in hours upon hours of studying the night before an exam that has been stressing you out all week? You wake up the next morning nervous and full of anxiety, just to take the same test as everyone else, under the same conditions as everyone else. Sounds fair right? Well I don’t believe it is, and here’s why. Standardized tests were made to test the knowledge of a student over a particular course or subject. The ACT and SAT, for example, are composed of four multiple choice sections usually including math, english, science and reading. Well here’s the funny thing, everyone is different. Some students thrive at written tests where some students fail. Some students…

    • 1253 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays