Education VS. Memorization

 As exam season rapidly approaches, criticism regarding standardized testing gets thrown into the spotlight once again, when their effectiveness in measuring students abilities is questioned. Many have argued that they are too narrow-minded, disregarding other crucial skills not able to be tested through this exam format and are not worth the stress they cause.

 Let's dive deeper into these shortcomings and a possible solution to truly encapsulate a student’s proficiencies.

A reoccurring issue that arises when the debate of standardized testing is brought

up is its tendency to confine the student's full abilities into a narrow box of a few core

subjects, such as mathematics, science, and reading, and completely neglects the other

vital areas of learning, like creativity, critical thinking, and social abilities. These soft skills

are not easily measurable through the use of multiple-choice questions, and as a result,

they are simply not measured at all. However, the danger of this way of testing is that at the end of the day, the necessary learning done outside of the curriculum that students are getting evaluated on is tossed to the side, deemed inferior and unimportant in the larger scale of education, although they prove necessary in the workplace and later on in life.

 

Therefore, a full picture of a student’s capabilities is not provided through the sole use of

standardized testing, as much of the knowledge students have acquired throughout the

course goes beyond the bubbles of a multiple-choice question. By continuing to

implement objective assessments as the gold standard of comprehension, educational

systems are failing to acknowledge the vast importance soft skills have when in relation to mastery of a subject.

 

To take a step further, standardized assessments have the tendency to prioritize the

regurgitation of facts and rote memorization, rather than the processes it takes to get to a correct answer. Of course, as everything, there are certain exceptions and some topics

that one simply must memorize, but during exam preparation, it is incredibly common to

see test-takers drilling information into their brains endlessly, hoping it sticks long enough

for the big day.

 

As Einstein once said, “Education is not the learning of facts, but the

training of the mind to think” and continued to say that “the important thing is to not stop

questioning”, insinuating that education goes beyond the memorization of facts and lies in the critical thinking skills and ability to apply knowledge to other topics. When these

objective assessments focus solely on the recollection of facts, they fail to encourage the

mind to think.

 

Arguably the most common argument when criticizing standardized testing is the

distress it causes for its test-takers. An estimated 40-60% of students suffer with test-

anxiety, and those worries are heightened when considering the importance standardized assessments possess. Some tests, like the SAT and ACT, play a vital role in determining

the university one attends after high school, or if they even have the opportunity to go to

university, and the stress of this fact can affect the mindset of the test-taker, and ultimately their score.

 

Now, I’m not saying that objective measures such as the SAT and ACT are inherently bad and should be completely discarded, however, other measures of

measuring growth and improvement, such as portfolio assessments or projects,

throughout a course alongside an assessment exam would paint a clearer picture on a

student’s aptitudes, as well as alleviate some of the stress associated with these higher

pressure exams.

 

 Ultimately, the method of using standardized testing to measure student progress

and capabilities has been around for a while and will continue to be used in the future for

generations to come, due to its efficiency and objectivity. However, it is wise to keep in

mind its shortcomings, and that like everything, it is not perfect and not all-defining. These

exams have their limitations, such as glossing over the crucial skills needed for a

successful career down the road, as well as contributing a mirage of stress upon its test-

takers. They are unable to capture the true magnitude of a student’s potential, and

therefore, while they are important, they should be complemented with other forms of

examinations to better reflect student success