Testing

After a week of hard work, there’s always one glooming figure looming over our drained selves. That figure is a test.

Are tests good for students?

Testing is happening all around the world, at any point in time and for any point of reason. Such as a job, review, or school. Out of those three points, testing heavily affects young adolescents in schools. Testing provides benefits and struggles that many only glances at the surface. Such as stress, pride, or disappointment. Are those benefits and struggles really necessary for students or others to handle? Should we really work on tests?

There is a question that every Student has thought of in their student life. “Who in the world invented this system called examination?” The guy who invented exams is a French philosopher named Henry Fischel, who has taught in various countries. According to Henry, the purpose of an examination is, to understand the ability and learning of a student, to make students learn a whole lot of things in one night, and to have an average of students’ abilities. Henry Fischel’s philosophy of exams was first established in China under the name of the Imperial examination.

Author of “Effects of Standardized Testing on Students’ Well-Being”, Christina Simpson from Harvard states, “While some tests do have direct consequences for students, such as grade retention, students often still perceive the tests as high-stakes and stressful because they understand that standardized testing has consequences for their schools, teachers, and administrators. A study of children’s perspectives on testing indicates that even third-grade children have some understanding of the consequences of high-stakes testing for their school and teachers (Dutro & Selland, 2012).

The Northwest Evaluation Association (2014) found that while the number of teachers who believe that too much time is spent on testing has decreased since 2011, many still think the amount of testing is excessive. Fifty-three percent of respondents reported in 2013 that the amount of time students spend preparing for and taking assessments is too much (Northwest Evaluation Association, 2014)….. e National Education Association reported similar results and highlighted that the time-consuming nature of standardized testing contributes to many teachers’ frustrations about testing (Walker, 2014).

Student Insight

According to students

Carter A: I think tests are a good way to check if students have been learning the material or have not, but there are some other ways to make them less stressful.

Mackenzie V: Tests aren’t a big deal for me. Almost 99% of the time I never study for them. I’m lucky to be able to not study and yet still pass a test and get a good grade on it. Regardless I still stress if I’ll do well or not knowing I most likely will.

Samuel H: I personally don’t like tests because of how much stress it can put on a person. I think if we were able to collaborate on tests it would be better and more realistic to the real world. I understand that we need tests for our teachers to see where we are at, but I personally don’t like them.

Lia S: Tests make me feel stressed because whenever I study, I feel confident, but when it’s the actual test day. I blank out and forget everything I learned. Frustrating experience.

Ending

I would like to settle on an opinion but I don’t have one; testing has both good and bad to it. After my experiences with them, I both love and hate them. When I get good grades on them, I feel accomplished and proud, “Let’s gooo! I aced the tests! I’m so smart!”. It’s a very satisfying end to them but there are also terrible endings, “dang it!! How did I mess up a single question on the test! Why am I so dumb and wasn’t confident in my decisions!” or “ I failed the entire thing! I’m so dumb how did I let this happen!”.

I both hate and love these experiences. When I ace them or get A’s or higher, it is a satisfying feeling and increases self-evaluation. Makes you feel better about yourself or proud, but when it’s the opposite side of the stick. It’s so painful, the toxic inner thoughts of oneself would overcome, but, could give you the emotion and motivation to get better; don’t let a slip-up happen again, you got this, you are better.