Something to Keep in Mind When Testing Our Students

 Some thoughts about tests:

         A standard, simple but effective way to measure learning is the basic pre-test, presentation of unit (teaching of skills and content) and post-test.  Consider this example.  The teacher is doing a unit on the US Constitution.  She first gives a pre-test.  Suzy knows very little and she scores a 10%. John is a good student and scores a 77% on the pre-test.  John’s parents have taken him to Constitution Hall in Philadelphia already. They watch history channel shows with him and often discuss topics in American history. At the end of the unit, John scores a 95%.  He has earned an A grade.  Suzy’s parents do not know she is studying the US Constitution.  Even if they did, they are not able to answer her questions or provide background or additional experiences that could enhance her knowledge.  Suzy scores a 64% on the post-test.  She has earned an F.  But Suzy has increased her knowledge by 54%.  Clearly she has learned much.  John technically only increased his learning by 18%.  He is clearly proficient but he already started out that way.

What does this mean? I am not sure exactly but it’s a good question to ask ourselves. When we look at each child’s learning, we need to consider all the factors.  Suzy did learn.  And since that’s the business we are in, that learning should be celebrated for her sake and for ours.