by Chris Leahy

Created on: June 09, 2009   Last Updated: June 19, 2009

Should schools require more rigorous testing of students to determine literacy levels?

In any location in the world, whether you're referring to the slums and ghettoes in the boweries of New York, the suburban schools on the West Coast, or in the villages of Darfur, increasing rigorous testing of students to determine their literacy levels is ineffective and counter-productive.

After having done plenty of testing in my days, I can personally attest to the fact that testing doesn't determine your literacy level, or where you should be placed. Anything from a headache to a breakup a day, week, or even month before the literacy test can throw you off-track.

Not only that, but certain children can and may have learning disabilities- dyslexia, autism, etc.- how is testing going to help children that can barely help themselves? How is testing going to prove anything but the fact that you may or may not have gotten lucky with guessing, or may or may not have studied enough?

Countless percentages from reputable sources such as the United States Treasury Regulation or the yearly census testing collection have recorded and summarized that testing is not an effective way of determining a child's academic weaknesses and/or proficiencies. Testing, although it is an easy way to gain a rough estimate of where a child should be, is not accurate- many people are also just not good test takers.

I have interacted with innumerable students that excel in math, literacy, and even physical education- but when it comes down to math tests, pop-quizzes on literacy, or even the occasional random running assessment in P.E., they blow it. As you grow older this also means that you could seriously damage your overall grade. It could also mean that you don't get into that college that you've wanted to go to ever since 3rd grade.

So why increase literacy testing? Instead of putting students in little desks with pencils and having them stare at tests both of you know they couldn't give a hoot about, try interacting with them. Try to observe their trends- maybe their patterns of how they work, whether that helps you notice a weakness or strength. Some people are great at tests, and some people aren't. Some people have learning disabilities: some people don't. Evidently, testing isn't going to go away, at least in this century. But we certainly don't have to increase it.

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