Teachers and schools have been put in the unfortunate position of forcing the importance of tests on students. The STAR tests are coming up here in California. We have the High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) here, too. The SAT and ACT seem to crop up just about every other weekend. School are judged on how well students do on tests they don’t give a damn about. So, we have to push how they are important (and they really are to some extent). Wait, what’s my point? Oh yeah! I just wanted another stage to rant about standardized tests (a blog entry coming soon on that one). Really, though, tests are key in determining a certain aspect of a student’s academic progress. If my kids (students) can’t take a test, I need to know that. If they can’t remember what I said 50 times over the last 2 weeks, I need to know that. If they can’t focus during class lectures and synthesize what I said with their own experiences, we have a problem. Tests are one way of figuring this out.

I will note that tests don’t mean much in my class. 50% of a student’s grade is based on writing. They cannot fail the writing part of the course and pass the class. Tests go into a 30% category and are often worth very few points, relatively speaking. You should find out how your teacher weighs “tests” (everything in school tests you, doesn’t it? Here’s my Clinton impersonation: It depends on what your definition of “test” is).

But tests in general do prepare you for life (by the way, I hate that phrase “the real world.” Is high school fake?). Dealing with stress, having to perform on a moment’s notice, gathering your thoughts immediately, cramming information, all of these are good to prepare you for life outside the walls of your latest learning institution. You won’t use cramming? Uh, hello!? Ever heard of business presentations? Cramming information in about the latest client? Staying up all night planning the next slide show for the convention? It happens.

Andrew, it sounds like you simply didn’t read the directions and that’s a test-taking 101 rule. Reading the directions is part of the test and it’s important. Look into how the SAT is graded and you’ll see that reading the directions counts for a lot. That’s the case with all standardized tests. Didn’t read that direction about bubbling in the booklet code? Your entire test is dumped and you fail. Didn’t read the directions for how to initialize your latest techno gadget? You may have done damage to the battery. And what about cramming to learn the latest coding goodie just to impress the latest client? Tests ARE life outside of school. They just aren’t called tests and they are all essay answers (thanks to a Frank and Ernest cartoon for that one).

I teach English. I evaluate more than my students’ skills in English, though. I evaluate social skills (class conversations), cooperation (group work, obvious), responsibility (forgot the essay?), maturity (wait, were you just looking at someone else’s paper?), artistic ability (cheap stick figures or drawings with some consideration for detail regardless of fidelity?), historical knowledge (check out the CA State Standards for eleventh grade for how much historical background juniors are accountable for), and many more things. Yes, the ability to do something as simple as reading the directions is something else I test.

If your entire grade is based on tests, there may be a problem. Then again, it’s not as if you didn’t know that tests are 70% of your grade. If that’s the case, I’d say nothing is more important than a test in that class and should be treated as such. You can’t complain about being held to the directions laid out on the test simply because you *thought* you knew what was being asked of you. Can I venture forth a guess that you rushed through the test because you were annoyed at having to take it and just wanted to get on with your day?

Lastly, in regard to teachers getting paid based on student performance on tests (this is called merit pay and is an idea seriously being considered at the moment), I take no credit for their success and expect no blame for their failure. I am with a student 53 minutes out of a 24-hour day. How can I possibly bear the sole responsibility for that student’s degree of acumen in the English language? There are so many other influences in a student’s life. If I get a class of intuitive kids, they will learn their brains out in my class regardless of how well or poorly I do my job. And I get a bunch of lame-os, they won’t learn a single thing regardless of how well or poorly I do my job. Teacher pay linked to student performance on tests the students don’t care about (and why should they!?) is a horribly flawed idea. I will not accept pay for what my students do. I’ve always maintained that I would rip that check up. Again, how the students do on those tests should only be a part!
of the way a teacher is evaluated and it should be based on a test the students have incentive to do well on. The CAHSEE is a good candidate, but that only tests 10th grade standards.

Ok. I’ve rambled enough so I think I’ll go eat a little ice cream and turn in for the night. G’night and don’t forget to read the directions! Now, I wonder if I can open the back panel of this monitor and fix someth—AGGGAAACK!

Your dad didn’t go to collage and he succeeded in life

Who’s dad didn’t go to college? What are you talking about? There is more then one person taking part in this post, thus using the word “your” does not specify whom you are talking about.

Please clarify your comment.

Thanks