Testing, Testing...

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Bad grades. Even the most studious of us have probably experienced them from time to time. We bomb a test and immediately, the excuses begin...

I didn't have time to study. 
My teacher didn't teach us this. 
I didn't understand the question. 
I didn't get enough sleep last night. 
I'm bad at testing. 
It was unfair. 
Why do we even get tested?

Why do we even get tested? It's a great question and one that students have been asking since well, since the beginning of testing. And while we have to admit that not all testing is perfect, there truly is a reason behind it.

So why do we test? Reason #1 is so that the teacher can assess the level of learning of each student. A *good* teacher uses test results to adjust their instruction. If half the class fails a quiz, this shows the teacher that they may need to reteach certain lessons. Reason #2 is that testing is part of the real world, it doesn't just end when we run off into the sunset with our diploma. Regardless of our career path, we will be assessed. When Jimmy finishes his landscaping project, his customer assesses him on its quality. When Katie completes a sales pitch, her boss assesses her. When Mike takes a customers order and gives them their proper change, he is being assessed. In the real world, if we fail an assessment, we could lose our jobs.

But I won't be assessed like this in the real world. 

Now that is a great argument and is part of the reason why effective and appropriate testing is so important. It's also part of the reason why agricultural education is so awesome, we have such a variety of assessment types and tools that allow us to make our testing more relevant to the real world. Let's look at some examples.

A student in my Animal and Veterinary Science course may never take a multiple choice quiz on the breeds of dairy cattle but you better believe that they will not keep their job as a herdsman long if they don't know the difference between a Holstein and a Jersey.

My student who goes on to work for the Farm Bureau may never have someone evaluating their public speaking skills with a rubric but when they are speaking in front of a group of congressmen, their skills, or lack thereof, will be evident.

And the student in my Power Technology course who says that they will never have to turn in a disassembly packet with the correct measurements of their small gas engine may be correct but when their customer's lawn mower breaks down because they did not check for the correct gaps, they'll be facing more than a failing grade.

See? As much as students love to think that testing only happens in school it is a part of our everyday lives and can mean the difference between keeping our job or not. Now that we know why I'll briefly cover a few of the hows that I learned in our readings this week.

• Assessments should be based on unit goals and lesson objectives. 
• Assessments should include a variety of cognitive levels.
• Every form of assessments has benefits and drawbacks that should be considered.
• Using a variety of question types makes for the best assessment.
• When possible, assessments of skill should be used. 
• Running a bead, injecting an orange, grafting an apple tree, etc

Sometimes testing can get a bad rap but hopefully, as I begin my teaching career I can use what I've learned about effective testing to help my students see the benefits of it.



References

Newcomb, L.H., McCracken, J.D., Warmbrod, J.R., & Whittington, M.S. (1993). Methods of teaching agriculture. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.