Test time: Time to measure what students know or throw out the test.

This is a tough one. How does a person best assess what a student has learned over the course of a year. The standard procedure is to give a test that will take the full 95 minutes. If it is a good test, there will be a portion of the students still working when the bell rings. Of course, these tests will be based on current state standards. The multiple choice questions will be carefully crafted from a bank of questions or better yet, the test generator that comes with the textbook. After all, those people are pros and know what a good test is all about. This is the way a final should be done, right?

I shudder to think that this is how countless students are being tested over the next few weeks as classes in many schools across the United States wind down.

Having said this, I better explain my thinking (if that is possible). I don’t know that a 100 question multiple choice test with a few essay questions tacked on for good measure is going to show what a student knows. Okay, I take that back. A student who does well on this type of test will....Click here to read the rest.