High-Stakes Exams:  Yes or No

For years, I took final exams as a fact of life, both from a student and then a teacher perspective. The accepted reality at the time was that in any secondary or higher education course, students would eventually sit for a test that counted for a large percentage of their grade. In recent years, this practice has come under more scrutiny with an increase in standardized testing toward goals that are not connected to a grade, such as tracking students’ longitudinal growth measurements or providing them with possible credits toward certain college courses. While it is still typical for college students to take final exams, should this practice be preserved in high school? To explore this question a little further, let’s delve into some of the considerations that have the greatest impact on whether secondary students benefit from taking high-stakes tests. 

Student Motivation

Employing tests as a motivator to ensure that a test is taken seriously is increasingly considered to be a controversial move, but one that is still very much in play for most schools. There is no question that students understand that when a final is weighted heavily, it makes up a significant percentage of their overall grade; the question is, does having such an assessment “count” for a grade increase or decrease students’ overall motivation to try their hardest? There is a strong argument to be made for the perspective that tests are meant to measure student performance, either over time (as is the case with longitudinal or growth assessments, like the MAP test) or at the start of a unit so that teachers can gather baseline data to make decisions about instructional next steps.

However, it is also true that students who have been acculturated to performing for the sake of a grade might find it difficult to take a test seriously if they don’t see that immediate consequence or reward. This carrot-stick mentality is hard to deprogram, and teachers have spoken to the lack of effort that students tend to give to any test when performance doesn’t result in some kind of evaluative measure. Those who disagree with this point of view feel that when we explain to students clearly that teachers need to understand what they know and how that progression is building as opposed to a grade, they can become more motivated to do their best.

Accuracy of Skills

The biggest bone that people tend to pick with high-stakes exams is questioning their accuracy in measuring what students actually learned over the course of a semester or school year. For example, the SAT has long been criticized as a test that primarily measures a student’s proficiency with taking the SAT itself, rather than an exam that provides a meaningful look into college readiness. Other standardized exams, such as Advanced Placement (AP) tests, tend to display a more explicit connection between course content and the test itself.

Ultimately, the gold standard of any high-stakes test is to measure what students have learned. Breakdowns in student skills can happen for a variety of reasons; perhaps some classes have not learned about every recommended topic in a unit, or there have been too many snow days to stay caught up, or several kids are absent from class on a regular basis. Ideally, any lapses in test accuracy should be the result of circumstances like these, and not a product of the test itself being flawed. Most standardized tests are heavily vetted, but nothing is perfect; furthermore, final exams for a school or district are often developed in-house and therefore contain more margin for error. Regardless of the source, any high-stakes exam that does not reflect what students should have learned should be subject to critique and revision. 

Overall Benefits

While those who disapprove of finals or high-stakes tests point to their disproportionate impact on student performance for better or worse, there are still many benefits that such exams confer. In high school, students who take finals are likely more prepared to encounter the same cultural aspect of academic life in college, in which taking exams at the close of the semester is a fairly established norm. Furthermore, there is something to be said for not just learning course content, but for also demonstrating and applying that knowledge at the culmination of that learning. It is certainly arguable that students will not move forward through life retaining whatever they are able to show on a test, but depending on the course, the experience can be valuable. 

In these waning days of the school year, some students are studying and sitting for final exams, while others are simply ending the year on the last day of classes and moving forth into the summer. No matter how we feel about these significant assessments, it’s important to consider both sides of the argument and to make decisions that act in students’ best interests, and that showcase their knowledge of what they have learned. In an age of so much testing, it is hard not to be reactive, but everyone benefits when we consider the issue from every angle to make the right decisions.

Written by Miriam Plotinsky, Education World Contributing Writer

Miriam Plotinsky is an instructional specialist with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, where she has taught and led for more than 20 years. She is the author of several education books (both out and forthcoming) with W.W. Norton, ASCD and Solution Tree. She is also a National Board-Certified Teacher with additional certification in administration and supervision. She can be reached at www.miriamplotinsky.com.