Why Testing Is Important
By Jill Jenkins
When a mechanic repairs an engine, he first tests the
various systems and focuses his repairs on the systems that aren’t functioning. The purpose of the test is to make the car
operate to optimum capacity. He doesn’t
berate the car for needing repair. (Unless he is my father who once beat an old
jalopy with a hammer for not working, rather counterproductive.) Similarly
tests in school should help improve student learning because they give the
student a clear view of which material needs to studied; they help teachers have
a better understanding of which material they need to approach in a different
manner; and they give school administrators and districts an opportunity to
identify effective teachers and ineffective teachers and use the stronger
teachers to enhance the teaching of those weaker.
Test to Grow
“Success is not final, failure is not
fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts”
Winston Churchill
Students should be taught how to use the data from their tests to identify areas of weakness in their learning and be given additional learning opportunities using different methodology to improve their understanding of the material they did not master. Students learn at different time lines and in different ways. When the student completes the additional study on the material, he/she should be given another assessment to show mastery. Unfortunately like my father some use test results to determine the worth of the child which can lead to test anxiety or cheating. Learning is a process and the student needs to understand that not all the flowers bloom at once. Communicating disapproval of the student based on tests results is like beating your jalopy with a hammer. It is counterproductive. Students need to be encouraged to take the steps necessary to master the skills and try another assessment.
Test to Develop
“Failure is success in progress.”
Albert Einstein
Assessments of every kind are important teaching tools for
educators. Identifying specific areas of
instruction that are successful and identifying specific areas of instruction
that are not successful can help teachers identify which methodologies are
reaching more students and which students need an alternative methodology to be
successful. Continually self-evaluating
instruction can greatly improve student performance. Teachers need to be exposed to a variety of
new and different instruction methods to be effective. The last thing schools need are teachers so
tied to a teaching unit that they laminate and use it for decades after its
effectiveness has waned.
Test to Adapt
“If you are afraid of failure, you
don’t deserve to be successful.”
Charles Barkley
School administrators and districts need to use assessment
data to identify teachers who are strong and teachers who are struggling. Strong teachers can share successful teaching
strategies with weaker teachers.
Teachers with poor testing performance should be given an opportunity to
improve their teaching methods, but if they refuse to improve, they need to shown
the door. There is nothing more pathetic
than a weak teacher being allowed to discourage the development of hundreds of
students for decades.
Tests are important tools for improving learning and
instruction if they are used as tools and not punishments. However, tests need to be carefully developed so
they evaluate what has been taught and show no basis in their word choice. A carefully worded and well-crafted test is essential.
Learning is journey, not a destination.