Time to Get Off the Testing Train
Recently, I have read two articles that were highly critical of standardized exams and the idea of testing in general. The first one is titled “Time to Get Off the Testing Train” by Stan Karp. The argument offered throughout the article is that the percentage of black and Latino students in New York’s elite schools is very low, and the super-rich are bribing their way into these elite and prestigious places; therefore, standardized testing is destructive (Karp, 2019, p. 1). I feel that this author missed the point of standardized testing and why it was introduced in the first place.
The idea behind any standardized test is to remove the element of judgment from the equation when grading. The fact that people are bribing and trying to circumvent the system is the issue with those people and the elements of the system responsible for preventing such notions, not the tests themselves. Many students are indeed feeling stressed when taking these tests. They are rare, and their performance is much hinged on them.
In my experience as a student, many smaller tests would be preferable to a single big one. However, I also think students must be taught to manage stress better. While some of the author’s concerns are valid, they are aimed at the wrong culprit.
Moving Beyond Judgment
The second article, titled “Moving Beyond Judgment,” by Linda Christensen, states that grades as “wages” are not effective because they incentivize students for achieving “good enough” results rather than striving for perfection. Her subjects are literature and creative writing, which are impossible to give feedback on without subjectivity or judgment (Christensen, 2005, p. 7).
However, I fundamentally disagree with her gradeless approach to reviewing student work. In essence, she espouses that she will not accept a paper until she feels satisfied with the performance level. This is a nightmare scenario for any student, including me.
We have many different classes and a heap of homework to attend to every day. People often turn in drafts because nobody has the time to write a paper and then revise it seven times before handing it in. Many of the “best practices” in writing are out of touch with the reality of student life.
References
Christensen, L. (2005). Moving beyond judgment. Web.
Karp, S. (2018). Time to get off the testing train. Web.