Blog 7

Testing. A very relevant topic, as most of us have just finished AP testing. The different variations of testing brings endless acronyms: ACT, SAT, PSAT, ISEE. It's ridiculous how so much of our life depends on and consists of answering questions, chosen from a large pool that adults from another generation compile. The questions they brainstorm are supposed to adequately measure our skills that we've sharpened in our years of learning. The numbers that dictate our life depends on the small bubbles we fill out on a scantron; much of our stress comes from pressure from our grades. Are students losing interest in something that can be potentially "their calling" because they are forced to go through the same dull process of memorizing facts and regurgitating them on paper? Does understanding a subject have any value in a place where it is more time-efficient just to memorize material?

Although the modern testing system can be criticized, there is no other adequate method that can measure how well a student can learn and process material. Until then, we will just have to bear with a system that relies too heavily on mechanical learning and sometimes even the luck of the draw.

News Editor
Michelle Huang