For those of us in Grade 12, the coming days are a harbinger of stress and hours of studying – diploma exams are here. Worth 50%, these 2-3 hour multiple choice and/or essay exams are often the deciding factor when it comes to things like passing and failing a course; getting into the university of one’s choice; even money matters like grade-dependent scholarships. Personally, I disagree with both the format of the exams and the importance that they are given.
I want to preface this post by saying that for me, the “one size fits all” system of standardized testing works excellently – I’ve found that the best way for me to learn is through reading textbooks and that final exams help my mark more often than not. However, with that being said, one person does not a system make. The issue is that there are several different ways of learning, even beyond the basic auditory/kinesthetic/visual learner profiles that are presented. Given that there are so many different styles of learning, I don’t think that the best setup for assessment is a standardized multiple choice/numeric response test.
The fact of the matter is that by having Alberta students take a standardized test, the government is sending the message that creativity is not a desirable asset. Success, it seems, is measured by how well students can remember facts and formulae, rather than being based on problem solving skills, innovation, and creativity. There’s a lot to say on this subject, but I think Sir Ken Robinson sums it up best in this TEDTalk from RSAnimate:
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But wait, there’s more! In my opinion, not only are diplomas fundamentally flawed, they are also weighted in a manner that I find ludicrous. At 50% of a student’s overall mark, diplomas have huge implications when it comes to students’ futures. As mentioned earlier, diplomas can play a role in scholarships, university status, and a plethora of other things. Foreknowledge of the magnitude of these exams often leads to undue stress for several students, resulting in test anxiety and poorer results than what would be expected.
I understand that diploma exams have been a part of Alberta’s education system for a very long time – an education system that is widely considered one of the most rigorous in the country. I agree that there should be some form of cumulative assessment at the end of 30 level courses. However, a semester’s worth of work should not be worth the same amount as a two hour exam in a gym. With such a concentrated weighting, there is a high likelihood of extenuating circumstances that could affect a student’s performance on the exam – maybe he or she is sick the day of the exam, for instance. It is not fair to students to say that the hard work done over 125 hours of class time is equivalent to a highly stressful, highly concentrated exam setting.
While it is true that realistically speaking, diploma exams likely mirror university midterms and finals in terms of significance to grades and pressure on students, there should be a gradual progression to that level. For the majority of university courses, the most a final exam can be weighted is 50%, so why have that same weighting for a Grade 12 exam? For example, BC also has provincial exams for Grade 12, but they are only weighted at 20%. Personally, if we do keep the current format, I would like to see diplomas weighted at 25-30%, thus allowing for a fair assessment of a student’s knowledge while still recognizing the importance of the work put forth over the course of the semester.
Ideally, as Sir Ken Robinson said, we should not aim to “standardize education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions.” Given the radical nature of such a transformation, however, it is not likely that this will be done overnight. As such, we should move towards a system of education that is not based on set standards, but rather on creativity and passion. In the mean time, best of luck to everyone on exams, diploma or otherwise! =)