Standardized Testing - Good/Bad?

[antchak]

Personally, I agree with standardized testing. It compares you overall intelligence to that of the population. There is really no possible better system that would be realistically used; it would be too much work. The theory of "Multiple kinds of intelligence" is now being recognized, and specialized universities are offering their own tests to see if you are right for them.

The main problem I have with such tests is that to score high, you must be part of a narrow band of people. Namely people with great vocabulary, read a lot, and do not make careless mistakes.

They also do not measure other skills such as creativity - even the writing free-response writing section has forumla-based grading patterns.

It actually does measure creativity. The recent addition is an essay, which is graded on creativity as well as linguistic intelligence.

 

[FreedomFight]

Personally, I agree with standardized testing. It compares you overall intelligence to that of the population. There is really no possible better system that would be realistically used; it would be too much work. The theory of "Multiple kinds of intelligence" is now being recognized, and specialized universities are offering their own tests to see if you are right for them.



It actually does measure creativity. The recent addition is an essay, which is graded on creativity as well as linguistic intelligence.

If you do some research or take some classes on writing essays, you could almost grade the paper with a rubric

Skilled writers do tend to do better - but this is because they naturally incorporate the "writing formula" that graders seek. Thesis, paragraphs with specific evidence, strong word choice.