“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
-Albert Einstein
For my civic issue blog, I decided to focus on some problems I’ve noticed within the public education system. Almost immediately, the standardized testing system came to mind.
Personally, I don’t believe our nation’s testing system is completely inutile. In fact, I think standardized tests are a great way to measure a student’s respective strengths and weaknesses. However, I do not think these exams should be the parameter by which we should judge the full capabilities of the student nor the teacher. I cannot count the number of times I have been in a class where the teacher begins to delve further into a subject or shares extra information about a topic they are excited about, just to shut themselves down because it is not part of the standard curriculum. My experiences in college, by contrast, are quite different. Because the professors design their own test, they have the liberty to teach whatever they wish or see fit. This affects not only the material of the class, but completely transforms the energy in the classroom. In my experience college teachers, having the freedom to teach what they enjoy, seem to get a better sense of gratification from their job.
In my high school education, I also knew some very intelligent individuals that weren’t good test takers- and as a result they would thrive in their classes but do poorly on their cumulative tests. Critics of standardized tests argue that they are very dependent on the student’s environment and other factors, including stress, hunger and energy. Additionally, these tests only measure what students have learned on a year-to-year basis, meaning once the student passes the test they immediately move onto the next year’s material. Because these tests do not build off of each other, there is little motivation nor means to retain previous years’ information. Personally, I can recall many skills I mastered in high school, just to forget them a year later.
There have, however, been some successful implementations of standardized tests. Take France for example; at the end of their high school career all French students take a final exam. However, their test is cumulative, measuring their knowledge of everything they have been taught in their academic career. In addition, students have the option to choose a path that will prepare them better for life after school, including literature, economics and social science, or sciences and math. In this way, students can focus on their strengths and prepare themselves for the next step in education. Furthermore, this French standardized test counts for something beyond the completion of high school; it can equate to college credits, scholarships, and even certify more job opportunities.