Forms of Assessment: Variety is best by Sophia

Forms of Assessment: Variety is best by Sophia - June 2015 Scholarship Essay

The ideal form of assessment varies from person to person. While some people get test anxiety others are poor writers. Multiple choice tests are better for assessment of poor writers, and students with test anxiety would benefit from an assigned essay. I prefer a combination of multiple forms of assessment.

Both tests and essays are a challenge to me, making it so that a combination of those two and other forms of assessment are ideal for me. I have an unusual form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) called Misophonia. This literally means "fear of sounds," though that is not what the condition is. People with Misophonia have a deep hatred of sounds best described as "small": chewing sounds, the tapping of a pen or foot, even shuffling of feet. These sounds are in my everyday life, which makes it difficult to live with Misophonia. These sounds are especially prominent when I take tests, because people are quiet but nervous, so they fidget and every sound seems amplified to me, making me angry and unable to concentrate. Therefore, tests are not good assessments of my abilities. I prefer quizzes, which usually are spread throughout a unit of study to help a student recognize what they do not understand and need to study more. Because quizzes are shorter, it means less time for me to be frustrated by sounds, yet I am still able to be assessed on my knowledge of material. Other forms of assessment are more effective and accurate. I am able to focus at home, where I can more easily block sound out. Essays seem like an ideal form of assessment, but because there is so much other homework, an essay that should be written over the course of a week is usually written in a single weekend. I could write much better essays if given time to write them in class (not timed essays) or if there was less homework and study time needed every night, so that I could spend several days writing assigned essays. Projects, especially group projects, are not ideal forms of assessment either, because though they may be assigned with the hope of a "fun" project, this is never true. Projects are work disguised as presentations, research papers, or art. While these activities may be fun when a topic is interesting to student, it is much less interesting when the subject is assigned. Projects, when done occasionally, can provide a change from the normal schedule, but usually turn out to be more stress and work than the points they provide are worth. A combination of all of these assessments often provides an interesting learning experience to the students. Educators would do best to focus less on large projects, tests, and essays and focus more points on homework and quizzes to benefit students.