Chris' Christian Blog

Tests

"Tests" 

Do test scores reflect how good teachers are? To be honest I'm a little ambiguous on this one. First of all I don't feel that test scores ever necessarily reveal anything. I know many people who could actually teach the material they know it so well but couldn't pass a test on the subject for any reason. There are any number of reasons they have trouble with tests. Perhaps they have test anxiety. They know the material as well as the next person but at test time they can't recall a thing. Another factor is the type of test. I am a writer. Therefore I have always done well with essay and short answer tests. I usually fail the computer graded tests in which you darken the circle because I mark the wrong question. Another factor is the student's motivation. I hated English in high school. It wasn't so much that I couldn't learn the material. I knew it very well. I just wasn't motivated to do it. My teacher tried but when the student isn't interested they fail. So tests aren't necessarily a great measure of knowledge.