Test or not: The great debate

By Danielle Moody
College of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
November, 2010

Today's class was very interesting. Not only did we learn to benefits and problems of tests, we debated and heard the many different views people have of tests. Though I was not a part of the actual debate and was only a "cheerleader", I had some very good points and also agreed with the points my team was coming up with (I was on the no test team). I would rather write an essay than take a test, personally. I think essays have much more substance to them and, I've personally experienced learning more about a subject while writing the essay than I had before when I was studying for a test. I think multiple choice tests aren't the most accurate way to testing, but Professor Dengting brought up some very good points as to why multiple choice tests are important.

By the middle of the debate I was torn between the no test side and the yes test side. I agreed with the points made by both sides and came to the conclusion that a class should not be strict in not having tests or only having tests, but should be a mixture of both to please the "good test takers" and "bad test takers". The test should obviously be fair, it should valid: the teacher should let the students know before time what material will be on the test and not give any surprises on the test. The students should know about the test and not give pop quizzes.