So
as I dive into my assessment course for my Master's program I am reading
articles about testing and examination. There is lots of debate about
whether or not we should be testing or examining our students. Lots of
students do not perform well on tests. How does continued failure support
their learning? A few thoughts occurred to me while I was reading:
Perhaps we are using exams and tests in the wrong way? Here are 10
reasons and ways to reinvent the exam or test in your classroom.
Exams are useful for some students so why ditch them because some students do not perform well?
This
sounds extremely controversial to me but I am willing to put this thought out
into the digital universe. Well-designed, appropriate exams worked well for
me and approximately 80% of the people in my high school graduating
class. Why ditch the exam when it works well for most?
We need to look at how we administer exams.
There.
I said it. Let's take the very valid form of assessment and
reinvent it for every learner. Let's turn test taking and exam writing on
its head.
Make sure each exam and test is well-designed tool in your assessment toolkit. Be sure to include a variety of questions that cover Bloom's Taxonomy.
I
attended high school during the 90's. When I reflect on how my teachers
assessed my learning I was impressed with the variety of assessment tools they
used. Each assessment was appropriately designed to help provide my
teachers with information about my learning. In social studies we learned
about different cultures; we compared and contrasted them to our own. We
created brochures and wrote essays. In Language Arts whenever we
completed a novel study, read a play, or studied an essay/poem we would
analyze, apply, understand and evaluate through discussion and essays.
Occasionally we had to memorize appropriate literary terms and were tested on
these, as it was applicable to our study of the literature. Sometimes, we
were evaluated through test format if it was deemed appropriate. In
mathematics we focused on the rote skill. We had to take procedures and
apply them to different problems with differing variables on a continuous
basis. Often we were solving word problems and practicing our application
skills. In science, we focused on inquiry and experimentation to back up
ideas and concepts. Overall, the way my
teachers chose to evaluate my performance matched with what we were learning.
Tests and exams were one important facet in a box of assessment tools.
Every exam/test should be reviewed by students so they can see their mistakes and continue their learning.
On
her blog, Brilliant or Insane: Education on the Edge,
Angela Stockman writes, “The only summative assessment
that benefits learners is one that also serves as a formative assessment”
(para. 4). When I read this statement I reflected on my own experience
with takings tests as a student and giving tests as a teacher. I
considered it an extremely important learning experience when I was handed back
the test and as a class we went over the answers; the summative became
formative and I was able to progress into the next assignment with a better
understanding of how I should proceed.
Every teacher must be involved in the creation of State/Provincial Testing.
Back
when I was a student in the good old '90s, when we took a test, sometimes we
were able to go over the test to see where we went wrong. Thus, the
test morphed from summative assessment to formative. The only time
that this did not apply was when we took the Provincial exam. First,
my teachers did not create the exams. I could sense their frustration and
helplessness in this reality. However, they were aware of the format of
the exam so they could do their best to provide assignments and instruction
based on what would best help us to succeed on the exam. Still, they
had little control over what questions would be asked and if they would be a
fair assessment of knowledge. Unless every teacher has a part in
creating a provincial exam/standardized test the exam cannot possibly be
fair. Teachers need to be involved in creating Provincial exams/ Standardized
tests to help plan curriculum. Second, our exams were never
returned to us; we were never able to see where we went wrong on the exam after
they were marked to help us continue our learning.
Tests and exams should be equally as important to teachers as they are to students.
When I administer an exam to my grade one
students, I always tell them that one purpose of the exam is to see as a
teacher what I need to reteach and help them with – the exam is for me as well
as for them to evaluate their own learning. Students need to be evaluated
on more than just the exam. It can be a tool but not the only form of assessment.
Students should write and submit reflections on mistakes and learning once exams are returned.
In his article Assessment as learning, Steve Maharey writes, “Relying on
testing and exams too heavily leads to students being compared with one another
rather than finding out where they are weak and where they are strong so their
performance can be constantly improved” (para. 13). Perhaps we do not
need to do away with exams but evaluate how they are delivered. I would
suggest that exams not only be followed with a review of correct answers but
also supplemented with a teacher marked student reflection on additional
learning achieved from reviewing the exam. The process of delivering
exams needs to be re-examined rather than ditching a valuable tool. I
always tell my students that the purpose of the exam is to see as a teacher
what I need to reteach and help them with – the exam is for me as well as for
them to evaluate their own learning. Students need to be evaluated on
more than just the exam. It can be a tool but not the only form of
assessment.
Exams are still relevant in life outside of school.
Why does education need one type of assessment? This
learning record or portfolio might work well for some learners and very well be
the preferred method of assessment. However, for those academics, the
exam is a tried and true means of learning and taking that learning to the next
level. Why throw away the exam when we could simply diversify the
options? The reality is exams are still a part of real life – we must
take driver’s exams and serving it right exams, we must memorize rules of the
road and rules in society. Exams have value in the bigger assessment
picture.
