Standard-based assessment
For us, as teachers, the implementation of assessment procedures based on
standards can be very beneficial. However, it can also bring disadvantages
for the students’ learning process.
On the one hand, they are very useful for us since their level of
practicality is very high. They can assess lots of people at the same time,
they save time when grading, and not many people are needed at the time of
administering them.
On the other hand, what I think that is a big disadvantage is the fact
that when the assessment procedure is used, the teacher focuses the instruction
on the development of the aspects that are included in the standard test and he
may forget some other things that he has to cover. I think it is like when at
work we have to design the exams. When we design them, we know what topics are
going to be evaluated so we redirect our teaching practices or our explanations
so that the students perform better. And I also think that that is a
disadvantage because we are not giving the same attention to all the aspects
learned but we are giving preferences to some of them.
Another disadvantage they have is that they do not take into account the multiple
intelligences. They evaluate everybody in the same way, with the same tools and
kind of items and do not take into account that each student can have different
abilities when answering tests. Many times we as students have the knowledge
but do not know how to answer…that is a big and common issue that needs
attention in language learning and teaching.
I believ
e that the best way in which standard tests could work out would be
if in addition to using them we could also give credit and importance to what
happens in the classroom during the instruction and students’ performance.
How could you highlight other issues besides tests during the instruction and students' performance?
ResponderEliminarI think we should balance the importance of the different moments that happen in the classroom. The instruction, the practice, the assessment procedure; all of them should have its importance. Also, we should show the students that importance.
ResponderEliminarWhen I say that we should give importance to what happens in the classroom, I am referring the fact that with standardized tests we only focus on the results of that test without having into account the students' performance in the class and their learning process.
There is the common case of the student that does not do very well on the standard exam but is very good in class and during his performance. And on the other hand, there are students that are not very good during classes but then, at the time of the exam, the get good grades. So that is the point, that those tests should have a way to focus more on the performance as well.