Retrieved from http://studymoose.com/should-exams-be-abolished-or-not-essay. The exams taken by 16-year-olds have recently been reformed in England, with a new numerical grading system from 9 to 1. Exams allow students to demonstrate their breadth of knowledge across a particular subject. With this knowledge, teachers can support students to study in the most effective ways possible. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Even if a student is taught generic skills in critical thinking and analysis, a wide breadth of knowledge is also needed to know what arguments are relevant in a particular domain and how they might be applied. The hard work throughout the semester should end with a rewarding break, not the hardest memorization assignment. But we need to look at what the evidence tells us about when exams are effective and when other types of assessment are more suitable. Exams encourage students to find methods of understanding and remembering information without having to study it up. Grade data means nothing because teachers apply different standards with different values. If anything, the scores have prevented them from becoming better. Standardized tests are unnecessary because they rarely show what we dont already know. Family strife, mental and physical health issues, and language barriers can all affect a student's test score. Research shows that such exams are more common when teachers either write questions quickly or rely on published tests from testing banks. Of course, some study techniques are better than others. The broken educational system values more grades than learning and that what obliged students to try any means sometimes illegal ones-to pass to the next level, history is full of people who try every trick to cheat at exam time,modern technology also has made it much easier for students to pass their tests with less efforts and students last issue nowadaysis knowledge. It not only opens the doors for better personality,improving skills of mathematical reasoning , communication,logistics ,Science and expressive nature of the subject which will provide the platform to add the ability , subtract the failure and multiply their success. "Examining the Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing." psychostimulants like Ritalin "borrowed" from their friends). Multiple-choice questions, true-false questions, short-answer questions, essay questions, and the like are some samples of standardized tests. We need to be careful when considering the use of exams in schools and universities. For example, if a student got sick before the exam and he could not study well and got a bad grade or failed with the fact that he is an A student. That's a big issue; the educational system should find other more effective ways of examinations that focus on what the student acquired as knowledge and NOT what they got as a mark. This is true for national testing programs such as the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), for example, where the potential to publicly rank schools has led to concerns about teaching to the test and narrowing the curriculum. Other than this core importance, here are some of the other core reasons why we shouldn't abolish homework assignments. It's bad science. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 16(1), 10. As for me, exams should not be abolished because of many good reasons. Students already have to take a number of standardized tests and AP exams that prove whether or not they know the material. Without the exams, the teachers cannot assess the true ability of a student and that is why exams are important. Tests are also developed by experts, and each question undergoes an intense process to ensure its validitythat it properly assesses the contentand its reliability, which means that the question tests consistently over time. Exams given in class are stressful for students (e.g., Zeidner, 2010) and instructors (Madara & Namango, 2016). I personally think that exams should be abolished. Schools will fudge results. However, we wish to address the limitations of doing so and offer five reasons to consider to stop giving exams in class. For educators, poor student performance may result in a loss of funding and teachers being fired. Proponents argue that standardized tests offer an objective measurement of education and a good metric to gauge areas for improvement, as well as offer meaningful data to help students in marginalized groups, and that the scores are good indicators of college and job success. Derrick Meador, M.Ed., is the superintendent for Jennings Public Schools in Oklahoma. What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack? I like the point about doing projects as a measure instead of exams! This is akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. With public and charter schools both competing for the same public funds, politicians and educators have come to rely even more on standardized test scores. Meador, Derrick. Therefore, taking a cumulative exam at the end of the year doesnt really tell the teacher anything that they dont already know about the students abilities. One of its main advantages being that it boosts mutual interactions between teachers, parents, and students. We can provide our students with the opportunity to apply the information in more sophisticated ways than mere memorization. 3546 kb/s. It's objective. A. Sometimes the same teacher will give the student a different mark to the same paper after a few months. Test anxiety. This incremental approach creates benchmarks to measure student progress over time. The importance of examinations is so eminent that most students are nervous about them. In general, such a school has a compliant or affluent population. Imposters have goals too: The imposter phenomenon and its relationship to achievement goal theory. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Is there an alternative to exams? Proponents of standardized testing say that it is the best means of comparing data from a diverse population, allowing educators to digest large amounts of information quickly. 2023 Editorial Projects in Education, Inc. The more we do, the more aligned we will become, and the more honest picture of achievement we can create. This may also alleviate issues of academic honestyit is not cheating to use these materials if you allow them to. A student who writes a more creative answer in the margins of such a test, doesn't realize that a human being won't even see this creative response; that machines grade these tests, and a creative response that doesn't follow the format is a wrong response. Suggestions. Students who come late may disturb their classmates and may not finish on time. (2016, Jul 25). I personally think that exams should be abolished. The instructor and/or teaching assistant proctor the exam, which includes patrolling the classroom in search of signs of students cheating. I fully agree with you on this. Yordy teaches world history, civics, and freshman seminar and volunteers as a program mentor. This is more difficult to achieve with other forms of assessment. I personally think that exams should be abolished. Exam is a word that most students fear off. Taking yet another test is unnecessarily redundant. Competency-based education can better prepare today's children for tomorrow's challenges, writes this letter to the editor. Kind regards, ya boi jill These unintended consequences must be addressed. Exams do not just assess learning, they promote learning in several ways: Organising yourself to study promotes self-regulation and metacognition . . They are more likely to improve. They encourage us to find ways of remembering information without having to look it up. These higher-order processes depend entirely on the question being asked. There are no rankings, no comparisons or competition between students, schools or regions and yet, Finlands schools are for years now, the most successful in the entire world. Danaher, K., & Crandall, C. S. (2008). We acknowledge that many instructors have valid reasons for giving exams in class (e.g., alternative assessment plans require time and effort, concerns about academic dishonesty; Cramp et al., 2019; Still & Still, 2015), and we urge instructors to use the practices that best fit their teaching philosophies and needs of their specific classes. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/leading-our-classes-through-times-of-crisis-with-engagement-and-peace/. I would not advocate publishing individual teachers grades because it would cause the same problems as publishing individual teachers standardized-test results, but grades by subject, grade level, and demographic categories could be fair game externally. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. While exams in class are generally stressful, they do not impact all students in the same way. Tue., March 21, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Many people say standardized testing provides an accurate measurement of student performance and teacher effectiveness. ET. (2019b). Exams should be cancelled and replaced by less stressful and more fruitful forms of assessments for several reasons including: 1)They do not define ones skills and capabilities: Thomas Edison once said: Tomorrow is my exam but I dont care, a single paper cant decide my future and we all know what Edison achieved is his life, other successful people followed such a path and if they cared much about exams, they surely would not have achieved what they did. Why do some people say exams should not be abolished? Moreover, students will also get to acquire valuable skills through regular . Like many issues in public education, standardized testing can be a controversial topic among parents, teachers, and voters. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The exams are often high stakes, making students anxious about the outcome. Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more. But it has also been an opportunity. Because of exams, a medical student was caught eating pages from one of their recommended texts since he failed to absorb information from taking his lectures too literally. A word that has a magic power to change a happy person into a frustrated and nervous one. Teaching of Psychology. Saucier, D. A., Miller, S. S., Martens, A. L., & Jones, T. L. (in press). Standardized tests are often scored by computers or by people who do not directly know the student to remove the chance that bias would affect the scoring. You can update your choices at any time in your settings. The common core is at risk for failure, not because the standards are bad per se, but because with standardized accountability, as in so many partial reforms, we again wont get a real picture of achievement, people will be disappointed, and the standards and testing will run their course. Research also shows that spacing out study over time is more effective for retaining information than cramming the night before. underpins critical thinking and problem solving. With the common core, a definition of achievement exists. And, at a basic level of competency, a grade or an evaluative report would give us as much information as we now get from standardized tests. of Ed, analyze college-placement test scores, and more. Maybe schools and education need to start running like businesses instead of charities and government entities. From our own experience, we have been more excited to get the products of these projects than to grade monotonous exams. Why should we have to take this big test to prove where smart? Potential perils of changing environmental context on examination scores. They are mediocre at analysis, counter-arguments, rebuttals, and evaluation of sources, though they have recently gotten better at evaluating sources as we have improved our instruction and formative assessments. For evaluating an individuals skills and intelligence, various types of examinations are conducted worldwide. There is no longer an incentive to study harder, put more effort into . Exam should be abolished because it is mentally and physically threatening the students, exam have caused a lot of suicide case among students and it makes students stressed out and have low confidence in themselves, exam is just a test of memorizing and it does not define any of the students. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. For students, a bad test score may mean missing out on admission to the college of their choice or even being held back. Madara, D. S., & Namango, S. S. (2016). Because exams are stressful and they do not show real results of the students hard work and mental ability. I for one want to find a safety in school, not a prison. Search results. The first is radical: These tests are not necessary.