Brenda Porter
May 17, 2007
Throughout life we are judged on many different levels for almost everything we do from the time we are born. As infants we are judged on a growth scale by the doctor and our parents to see if we are growing and developing at the desired rate. After several years of being rated on a physical developmental scale, we then enter kindergarten and begin to be evaluated by our ability to learn and retain information. After constant testing and grading of some sort, it comes to no surprise that people begin to question what effects this assignment of level or grade from all these tests really have. The essays by Paul Goodman, Howard Gardner, and Diane Ravitch raise issues with the problems we have in our society today based on testing and grading in the educational system. Although all three have valid points, I must agree with Diane Ravitch that even though there are flaws in our processes testing and grading are a necessary part of life.
First, Ravitch gives several examples on the very basics of why testing and grading are necessary. One of the most important is our professionals, especially in healthcare. I personally would not want to be on the operating table and questioning what the credentials are of the person holding the knife. I want to be assured they have devoted the time and acquired the skills necessary to hold my life in their hands and heal me. Those types of skills can only be measured by testing and requiring certain levels of excellence.
On the other hand, Paul Goodman says we should abolish grading altogether once our children reach college. In a perfect world with everyone having perfect integrity maybe this would work, but the reality is our world is far from perfect and integrity is in short supply. Another reason why testing is so vital even with all the flaws in our educational system. Goodman does have basis for stating that students today miss the true scope of the subject they are learning to pick and choose bits of information to retain in order to pass with a desired grade. In this point, I agree. We truly are becoming a fast food bank of knowledge.
Next, there is the issue of time, which is brought up in the essay by Howard Gardner. Gardner’s view that standardized times need to be adjusted accordingly. Just as life is not concrete then we must bend on some occasions. He states that some students are qualified, but they do not test well. I can concur with this point, as I have had this problem myself from time to time taking test. I knew the information, but nerves and anxiety over time got in the way of expressing a true representation of the knowledge I had. So indeed, there is more to consider that just keeping true to standardization of times, but there must be some limits. True most of us don’t go through life using timed reading comprehension or speed math, but we do live in a world that requires we complete things in a timely manner.
Our society is fast paced and gaining yearly in compacting everything from communication to education. Even our Internet class is an example of that. Overall the true quality of education in some areas is suffering. Regardless we must keep testing and grading our students to have some basis of what knowledge they have at a given point in study, even if it isn’t a complete representation.
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