Testing in Education

Testing is a significant part of the education system. As far as I can remember, tests have

always been part of every classroom. For me growing up, I always dreaded taking a test because

my parents worked long hours, so I was in charge of cooking and having the house clean. There

was no time left to study and prepare for my tests. Along with not being ready, I would get very

nervous, afraid that if I did not do well, my parents would be upset and would ground me.

In my opinion test taking is not all that effective because students get overwhelmed with

the fact that there is a test that needs to be taken, making that the center if their worries. Leaving

them to treat education as something temporary and once tests are over the information tested is

not essential any more and their off to try and remember the next set of data. Eventually, students

will merely be copying answers compared to retaining information effectively to improve their

knowledge. Alarming because all the material taught are building blocks to what they are yet to

learn, so if retention is not present, this is where we will begin to see children start to struggle in

their academics.

Retention can be obtained in many ways the most effective is play because if children

learn through play, they will be more engaged and willing to learn the material. It is all about

incorporating material with songs, art, and fun activities. If teachers provide limited support

during lessons, students will begin to solve their problems on their own, allowing children to

learn and discover as they go. Learning with hands-on activities makes retention more effective

because children are engaged and present. The concepts will come naturally for them as they go

because they will be able to relate them to the activities that completed on their own or as a class.

After students complete, the activities that they actively participated in is when a test should be
administered because students are more comfortable with the material. Alleviating the stress and

allows them to take the test with more confidence.

In comparison, Non-Stop testing can overwhelm students with undue stress. The constant

testing can cause students to dislike school. I work at a high school where the math department

has at least a quiz every Friday. I can see the amount of stress the students are going through

because some decide to ditch rather than take an exam. Math is a subject that can become

stressful now imagine having to take a test every Friday. I believe that instead of having them

take a test, the teacher could incorporate math activities that involve technology to alleviate the

stress a little. She could use that wrong answers as something to review before assigning a test,

but she does not do that, so students brush her off and ultimately decide to not do anything at all

in class. It is all about a balance the more engagement students have with the material the more

comfortable students will be when tests are presented.

Overall testing has been around for a good while they are not going anywhere, so as

educators, we should use them to our advantage. If we know a test is coming up, why not prepare

our students by creating fun activities that will allow them to retain the information more

effectively than a simple lecture. Engaging activities also enable teachers to identify where it is

that they need to review to have effective scores on their tests. Having that peace of mind that

they are ready for their tests allows students to enjoy school more. Which should be the overall

outcome because as educators were are to support out students the best way possible. So they can

reach the goals we have for them and the goal they want to reach. In my future classroom I plan

on having a balance when it comes to tests and play.