TESTING... A NECESSARY EVIL

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What are the characteristics of a good classroom test? What are the steps to make (recognize) a good exam? What impact do the exam results should have on teaching?

Testing is a necessary evil. In order to make testing effective a teacher must consider several aspects of his teaching.  

What are the characteristics of a good classroom test? What are the steps to make (recognize) a good exam? What impact do the exam results should have on teaching?

A few days ago I remembered, how awful anatomy tests were when I was a student. It was not because I didn’t know the answers; it was because the idea of an exam with open answer questions was terrifying. The teacher used to ask for explanations about complete emergency cases. Nobody had an idea about it, every time it was a different exam… of course all of us failed a couple of times. One idea had grown in my mind: It was the teachers fault.

Students are scared of tests because they think that test’s results mean how great or terrible they are in a subject. This misconception comes from a culture where parents reward children with acceptable grades and punish the ones without them. I certainly believe that the value of a test has been overrated

 When teachers give a number at the end of the course it seems like the work is finally over, but there is not feedback or assessment at all.

 It is important to establish the difference between two important concepts; testing and assessment. Testing is the tool used to find out how much do the students know. The value that the teacher will give them for his performance, is the assessment.

 When creating a test, the teacher must think about the students first. And take some time to analyze what they know, the specific content that is going to be tested, the purpose of the exam, the objectives and an appropriate context.

 When selecting test questions teachers should keep in mind the specific aims of the test; this way they will find it very easy to organize the content. If it gets confusing, they can always try with different pilot tests to see which one works better.

 A test needs to evaluate the students’ individual performance. It also needs to be well planned and organized, needs face validity (an appropriate format, familiar to the students), reliability (how trustworthy it is) and validity (to measure what is intended).

 The results of a good assessment  will show the teacher how to increase his own effectiveness by making adjustments to his teaching. If my anatomy teacher had been evaluated according to the progress of his students, he definitely would have reconsidered his testing process.

 In conclusion, tests are necessary and important, but just as important as the whole performance during the course. Only the assessment will define the real progress.

We need teachers who take seriously assessment and testing. Planning with anticipation, schemes of work and lesson plans will help a lot at the moment of creating a particular test for each level and stage of the course.

 ADRIANA MARÍA CELÓN ORTIZ
Docente de la Materia de Inglés