An Elevated Form of Assessment

A Beneficial Change to Maclay’s Method of Testing

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Sitting at a desk for two and a half hours while tapping your pencil against your temple gives learning no purpose. Not to mention the excessive hours you wasted laboring over notes and study guides in the hope of straight A’s on your end-of-the-year report card. Nothing about this experience is memorable and you will only forget the material a couple of days later.

Luckily, Maclay School is switching to a more enjoyable and flexible way of testing. Their plan removes the official exam week from the school’s schedule. Instead, teachers will be giving their own cumulative assessments during the final week of the semester. This gives educators the freedom to test their students however they believe is the most helpful. Maclay isn’t the only school realizing the worthlessness of final exams. According to Education Week, states have been dropping final exam requirements for high schoolers. Only nine states still require exam testing in schools. Among the nine states that still require particular exams are Florida, New Jersey and New York, and even these states are seeking to make those exams optional. There are several reasons that schools are changing their form of assessment.

Taking semesterly exams doesn’t guarantee educator’s feedback. Even if students do get feedback, it isn’t until they return for the following semester. Oftentimes students do not get an opportunity to see what questions they missed. However, Maclay’s more flexible way of assessing student knowledge will make it easier for teachers to communicate with their students about where they did well and where they struggled.

“Generally, when we had traditional exams, [students] took the exams in December [and they] came back in January. The teacher may have gone over the test and then [they]  moved on,” Head of Maclay Upper School Charles Beamer said. “Now with these authentic assessments, it provides timely feedback… which allows for learning.”

According to the Washington Post, there was concern among parents and educators about final exams resulting in lost time to learn new material. Loudon and Montgomery County in the Washington area always set aside days at the end of each semester for students to sit their exams for each class. The school board decided, however, that this prompted less instructional time. This along with the worry that students were being tested too much caused these two districts to switch to project-based assessments.

Students’ ability to apply information rather than recall it allows for a better learning experience. When studying for a final exam, students are incredibly stressed and their only desire is to pass with flying colors. They also tend to forget everything they’ve learned days after taking the assessment. Applying information rather than remembering it prompts a memorable experience that allows the information to stick. Maclay’s hope is to evaluate students through a showcase of their knowledge. The showcase is still in the works, but the expectation is that it will permit different departments to assess student knowledge in the way that works best for them.

“For the English department it may be where students’ works are going into the literary magazine or being published in the newspaper,” Beamer said. “For our World Language department we’re talking about doing a symposium where students are actually engaged in conversation culturally about a particular region.”

A common claim against the switch from final exams to cumulative assessments is the loss of an opportunity to prepare students for college. However, students get plenty of opportunities to be traditionally tested throughout the year. Any test counts as a summative assessment and gives students this important experience.

In addition, Advanced Placement (AP)  courses require students to take an AP exam at the end of the academic year. Any students who take one or more of these courses are still being assessed traditionally. At Maclay, AP students will be able to participate in their AP exam as well as the possible addition of a showcase. This offers a great compromise of both traditional testing and a more enjoyable learning experience.

Maclay’s new student assessment method will allow teachers to provide timely feedback that students can retain. Additionally, maximizing instructional time leads to a better learning experience. Overall, the new policy could eventually improve the outcome of education at Maclay.