Testing for Intelligience

My blood pressure rises when I think of its impact on Florida’s FCAT testing.  In addition, in school, I did poorly on multiple choice questions, although I knew the information.  How could this be; now, I believe that I had a form of dyslexia which may have affected the way in which I read questions (who really knows?).  On my initial round of the SAT, my score was low; my mom enrolled me in a summer program that taught students how to take tests.  OK, I have a few questions about the integrity of such a class, but I learned what to look for in questions. I was taught how to read a question specifically, rather than what I think it says; all I know is that my test score improved in leaps and bounds. Even now, I cannot proof read my individual papers; I can, however, take a multiple choice test and do fairly well (yes, even if I’m not familiar with its material; it worked!).  So, for whatever reason, I understand that there are, indeed, children who are poor test takers; this does not, however, mean that they do not know the material.  As a result of my poor test taking, I was labeled; I’m certain this is the case with many children today.

Due to the No Child Left Behind Act, 3rd grade children spend much of their year awaiting the dreaded FCAT.  The curriculum is thrown out the window, while a new one is improvised to encourage children to pass the exam.  Quality time at home is replaced with replicas of the exam.  You can feel the pressure of this exam while chatting in the supermarket; it’s the talk of the town.

Katz (1997) has a riveting idea regarding such assessment.  My initial reaction was “no way,” but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes to me.  According to Katz (1997), “most children can be encouraged to assess the general progress of their own learning.”  School-aged children can be encouraged to indicate the area of learning they want to focus on, and then, they will judge their own progress.  In reality, “unless children are consulted about their own views of their progress, they cannot learn to assume responsibility for it.”  This makes sense to me.  Many times, teachers evaluate children, but we do not share our findings with the child; their interpretation of the assessment and the results can be beneficial to our understanding. Perhaps, “the purpose of assessment should shift from assigning marks to including constructive feedback and assistance for the learners’ improvement (Kapur, 2008).  In spite of my own feelings about the FCAT, I do believe that failure to evaluate could deprive a child of intervention.  As we know, early intervention can aid the child’s future.

Although not by much, I feel our assessment techniques are more modernized than those in India.  In India, “the focus is on rote learning and memorization, characterized by a neglect of higher mental abilities such as critical thinking, problem solving, and creative ability (Kapur, 2008).  I remember (way back when) that I had to learn (memorize) the names of the states in alphabetical order.  I knew the states on a map, but I did not know them in alphabetical order; it took me too much time to write them down.  My father (who thought very methodically) wrote an enormous run-on sentence for me (it was more like a paragraph). Every word began with the first letter of the next state alphabetically.  It was pretty unreal, and of course, it worked. I used to walk around the house singing the story.  However, what did I learn?  I’ve never once been asked to recite the states in alphabetical order (no, I cannot do it now!).

Presently, in India, the examination system in inflexible; it is based on the one-size-fits-all principle.  “The emphasis is on scores thereby defeating the whole principle of education (Kapur, 2008). I n India, data supports that the maximum number of dropout rates are based on inability to perform well on English examinations. If taught in a holistic manner, listening, reading, speaking and reading, would be the focus of an evaluation.  However, in the Indian education system, the focus is on writing. India is a multilingual country; the language used in the testing is often a factor in the outcome.  Bilingual children need to have an opportunity to express themselves in the language they know (this is often the case in the United States).

In order to make assessments useful for learners in India (and perhaps the United States), teachers need to be trained.  Assessment needs to reflect information in the current curriculum, rather than a curriculum designed to help children pass the exam.  Assessment needs to offer children feedback.  If students cannot use the information given, what is the purpose of the assessment in the first place?

Kapur, K.  (2008, July).  Assessment for improving learning in India: a prospective.  Retrieved at http://iaea2008.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/ca/digitalAssets/180417_Kapur.pdf

Katz, L. G.  (1997, April).  A developmental approach to assessment of young children.  Clearninghouse on Early Education and Parenting.  Retrieved at http://ceep.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/disgests/1997/katz97.html