Tests alone are not a reliable measure of genuine learning.
They do not distinguish between material that has been learned and that which has been memorized and will be forgotten in a short while. True learning must be evaluated through a range of activities and assessments, of which tests and quizzes are only a part.
Tests are best used as an integral part of the learning process, not an after-the fact status report.
They tell the student what they have learned so far and what they still need to learn. Redefining tests as feedback for the student helps make tests meaningful and useful. When there are comfortable and practical ways to learn from his mistakes, a student can appreciate a test as an important part of the learning process.
All tests should be formative, unless there is a compelling reason for them to be summative.
Why not let them learn from their mistakes? It’s an important part of the learning process.
Test grades are not final until a student has mastered the material or stopped trying.
No student should be forced to leave the wreckage behind. On the other hand, there have to be practical limits as to how long the remediation process can take.
The remediation process is as important as the test itself.
It is how students learn from their mistakes.
Time pressure should never be a part of testing unless you are explicitly testing students’ ability to work under pressure.
Time pressure adds to test anxiety, especially for students who are struggling or simply work more slowly. Tests should be designed so that the slowest students have enough time; the test is more likely to show what they have learned.
If you can’t say it, you don’t really know it.
Asking students to articulate what they have learned is a legitimate function of tests.
The habit of cramming, regurgitating on tests, and forgetting can be unlearned.
When the techniques of self-directed learning are functioning well — e.g., the appropriate classroom culture exists, the work students do trains them to be metacognitive learners, and conversational learning is commonplace — the test becomes a check-up of how well the learning process is working for each student. If it is working well, a student may not need to review much before taking a test because he has actually learned the material. Cramming becomes superfluous.
Formative testing cultivates grit.
By encouraging students to continue working through difficulties and failures, the remediation process helps them internalize a growth mindset and a trust that if they keep working they can become successful.
Reducing test anxiety makes for better education and more accurate assessments.
There are ways to make test-taking less stressful. Eliminating time constraints, reducing tight control over student behavior during the tests, and reminding students that they can recover if they don’t do well are all helpful in reducing test anxieties. Relaxed students show what they have learned more accurately, and they are happier in the process. There is no reason why they should have to suffer while they are showing how much they have learned.