Why such high-stake assessments?

The comparison of the two different assessment types, high-stakes formal and authentic informal, reveals the problems the American Education system has with evaluating the knowledge obtained by students.  The standards that have been and continue to be implemented in our schools are causing stress not only among the students but are pressuring the teachers as well.  The norm of high-stakes formal exams causes students to become anxiety ridden for days if not weeks before the actually exam.  Many spend countless hours studying and quizzing themselves on what they think will be on the exam.  Others give up before they even give it a chance because they are positive no matter how hard they try it will turn out poorly.  So many classes that students take are now graded based on little other than exams or papers.  Teachers are forced to put the pressure on the students to meet the standards that require high-stakes assessments.   While some students can handle the pressure and perform well on these assessments, others who understand the material but suffer from anxiety continually are low performers.  The high-stakes approach does not give a good overview of the student’s knowledge.  The classes our students are taking today need to be a hybrid of informal and formal assessments to properly assess their knowledge.  Of course this may not be the best answer, but it is a step in the right direction.

In addition to reviewing how we assess students, it is important to remember the materials we are providing to them.  If we are as school districts and teachers are not providing the students with the best resources possible, it is not reasonable for us to expect students to perform at the levels we have set.  When it comes to the textbooks and other resources we direct the students to we need to scrutinize the content and readability of that source.  In this case, high-stakes assessments would fit.  We need to put every ounce of pressure on these sources so we know they hold up and can assist our students.

Of course, textbooks and other resources are not the only way the material should be delivered to students.  Teachers need to assess each and every lesson they have to maximize the comprehension of the material they are conveying to the students.  We need to take the pressure off of the teachers though and apply it to the lessons they are preparing.  It does not help in any case to pressure a person; most people crack that is just our nature.  On the other hand, textbooks, resources, and lessons can always handle the pressure and can be improved little by little each time.