FW #5
A better alternative to standardized testing would be to use student portfolios in order to assess learning and growth. “A student portfolio is a systematic collection of student work and related material that depicts a student's activities, accomplishments, and achievements in one or more school subjects”(Scherba de Valenzuela). Using this system wouldn’t require kids to miss classes to take standardized tests, it’s a better representation of a student's learning during the year, and It increases self-motivation to learn and grow.
It doesn’t take them out of class to take the test. Students spend almost 25 hours every year taking standardized tests (Obama: Limit class time spent on standardized tests). When students miss class, they miss out on valuable instruction that could put them farther behind the rest of the class. They have to make up whatever they missed, on top of whatever the next day's assignment is. With a portfolio, no classes are missed, and it creates less stress on the student. Also, when teachers have to spend class time preparing for these exams, it gives them less time to
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Looking at someone’s work throughout the year provides a clearer picture of their intelligence and learning than just one standardized test. Say one student were to get a high A in every class, but on the say of the standardized test they got nervous and scored in the below average range. Should this be the only thing that shows their learning throughout the year? With the portfolio system, it evaluates all subjects not just english and math. These are all important fields, but what about history, science, and the arts? (Peterson and Neil). Using portfolios could create more balanced students who invest their time not only in the core subjects, but also in music and art. Creativity is a necessary skill in almost all jobs today, and our current standardized tests aren’t meant to measure it