To Test, Or Not To Test? by Corrine

To Test, Or Not To Test? by Corrine - July 2022 Scholarship Essay

Bouncing off the steps of the school bus I would race home from school, excited to be able to sit at the kitchen table with my textbook open and papers splayed all over the table. Working for hours more than required to, I always craved to learn more, see more, and do more. Growing up and having access to an education is something I make sure to never take for granted because in my opinion education is an invaluable asset. However as the years passed the tests got longer and the work became mindless my excitement and creativeness got dampened.

The ability to think intuitively is imperative to the success of our generation as well as future generations. Unfortunately within the current school system a majority of our education is condensed into standardized testing and multiple choice questions. Thinking critically and understanding how processes work in any subject will make the information learned in school significantly more beneficial for students.

Teachers also gain freedom without the restraints of certain material and test dates or scores hanging over their head. Having the ability to teach students in a more relaxed environment proves to be more successful because it would allow more time between assessments. In my past experiences there have been many times where, because of standardized testing, a teacher has rushed through units leaving me and many others unsure of the content causing confusion in later units. If the teachers had not been pressured to teach an abundance of information in a certain time period then they could’ve taken time to ensure that the class fully understood the information.

If the education system were to change, students who struggle with test taking and memorization would be unconfined from the stress of failure on big assessments. Standardized testing is not an accurate representation of how smart a student is because not everyone has similar thinking patterns. For students who think differently than what the school system wants us to think it can result in bad test scores which can deplete confidence in addition to GPAs limiting future options for after high school. By transforming the school system it can increase overall student confidence and guarantee that no student is just a test score.

As a rising senior in high school I am fortunate to be able to have experience classes that focus more on the students' understanding rather than just testing. My junior year I had the privilege to have a couple of classes that concentrate on global ideas and thoughts. On our assessments there were little to no multiple choice questions challenging us to think holistically. Throughout the year I noticed not only a growth in my academics but also my problem solving and critical thinking outside of the classroom. It takes adjusting to but it made me realize just how damaging standardized testing can be.

Education is a privilege but it should also be constantly evolving. In the past 10 years there have been few noticeable changes to the school system, most of them due to the pandemic but within the next 10 years more changes like reducing standardized testing should be made. Colleges and universities have already started optional SAT and ACT scores because it is now publicly known how unfair testing is. Teachers and students deserve to be more than just a number or statistic and should be able to prioritize learning. Change is possible and can transform education as we know it for the better to create a more brilliant and successful future.