Having students demonstrate their work and thinking process requires human intervention, which would just make it too darned hard to administer the tests to millions upon millions of learners every year. Of course, if we tested less, but used assessments that measured students' capacity to think, then we'd probably be able to keep within our existing budget. All the teachers in a chosen district would simply refuse to administer the test to students on test day. Instead they would offer the test to parents, administrators, government officials, real-estate agents, and other business and community members. As MMS editor Ferdi Serim correctly observes, there is a world of difference between high academic standards and standardized tests.
Meaningful assessments are essential in education and in life after school.
The current crop of decontextualized multiple choice exams are, in my view, a lousy way to measure student skills. I'd love to write more, but it's time for my driving test. Information Today Inc. All rights reserved.