Standardized tests assess how well students use problem solving to choose a correct answer out of a multiple-choice set. In standardized tests, every student in an entire state, class or school district is given the same test. While standardized tests can yield information, such as the math skills of fourth graders statewide, the results of these tests do not represent student knowledge with complete accuracy. For example, some students may have excellent math abilities but may not respond well to the pressure of a standardized test. These individuals may achieve poor scores that corrupt the data.
Many teachers and institutions choose to test students’ knowledge by asking them to write an essay concerning the subject on which they are being tested. This occurs at many grade levels, from second graders being asked to write a sentence about the book they read in class to college graduates writing an analytical essay for an entrance exam for graduate schools. Essay tests allow for greater subjectivity in grading, as students explain the reasoning they employed in achieving a conclusion. However, essay tests favor those who communicate well verbally and through writing and may not do justice to the intelligence and critical thinking skills of those who are better at expressing themselves quantitatively or visually.
Many instructors require final projects in place of tests to determine students’ final grades. For example, a final project may include a visual component, an essay component, and a quantitative analysis of data. This gives students an opportunity to express themselves through the method with which they are most comfortable, while challenging them to stretch their communication abilities. Final projects are helpful to professors and teachers because they assess a student’s knowledge using many mediums. However, they require extensive grading time, are subjective and are less useful on a state or national scale.
Teachers can assess how much students have learned by asking them to give a presentation to the rest of the class. Teaching someone else about a subject can reveal how much knowledge a student has gained in the area. Often, students can rely on multiple mediums in their presentation, from oral communication to visual and written representations. However, a student’s nervousness or qualms about public speaking may detract from the quality of a presentation, skewing the data a teacher is attempting to collect regarding that student’s knowledge.