Student Performance: Examination & Other Forms of Assessment

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In most institutions of learning, examinations are usually used to assess if the students have grasped the concepts that they have been taught throughout the period that they have been learning. The objective of an examination is for a summative evaluation since it is intended to reflect the student’s knowledge and performances (The University of Nottingham, para. 4).

Since the examination is the commonly practiced form of assessment, most students endeavor to get high scores. In this case, a student who has scored an “A” means that he or she has fully grasped the concepts in a particular area of study and vice versa. However, does this reflect what takes place in reality? Is it possible to employ other forms of assessment in achieving that endpoint?

For most respondents taking examination questions, getting an “A” is their main objective (Rowntree, 46). The test-takers usually equate attaining academic excellence in scoring high marks in their examinations (Malhotra, 3). Honestly, taking into consideration the current system of education being practiced in most institutions, anyone can get the high marks since exams test the memory of the respondent, more than analysis, creativity, or real understanding of the subjects.

A student with a good memory can get an “A” in a subject even with limited work all through the course. That is why most learners do not get their priority right. These learners ought to go to school to gain knowledge, rather than paying increased attention to attaining high scores.

Nonetheless, since the nature of evaluation in most institutions of learning emphasis on scoring high during examinations, some learners often miss their priorities. This has made the education process to be seen as a process of scoring high marks, which is not an honest method of assessing performance.

The Humanistic philosophies propose that for the performance of learners to be good, all their basic requirements should be provided; therefore, the learner’s background and the teacher’s pedagogies must be examined. This implies that learners from different backgrounds will manifest different expectations in the learning process. Eventually, their learning abilities would be affected. For instance, if a learner comes from a background where his or her needs are not adequately met, the performance of the learner is likely to deteriorate.

Does the present examination system reflect this? I suppose not. Meeting their basic needs also entail the nature of the examination itself. It is true that some learners perform poorly when forced to work under pressure, which is usually huge and is a source of many problems (Mundsack et al., 12; Barrass, 40). The pressure attached to high scores has made some learners have breakdowns. Worse still, in extreme cases, some have attempted suicide since they are unable to handle the pressure of getting “A’s.”

To this end, it is clear that the traditional system of examining learners should be replaced with other methods of performance evaluation. As much as there are learners who honestly work hard and deserve their good grades, the reality is that there are many out there who have been spoon fed for them to attain the high grades.

The thing is that examination should be replaced with a genuine evaluation method like coursework. This is because of its emphasis on research, understanding of the concepts, and the capability of the learner to express himself or herself. Also, coursework is not a one-process method that aims at assessing the ability of a particular student in responding to some questions for a limited amount of time.

Works cited

Barass, Robert. Students must write: a guide to a better writing in coursework and examination. New York: Routledge Publishing, 2005. Print.

Malhotra, Ashok. How to excel in examinations. Morrisville, North Carolina: Lulu Publishers, 2005. Print.

Mundsack, Allan, et al. How to study: and other skills for success in college. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Print.

Rowntree, Derek. Assessing students: how shall we know them? London: Harper & Row Ltd, 1987. Print.

The University of Nottingham. “Examination and other forms of assessment.” School of Computer Science. Web.

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Student Performance: Examination & Other Forms of Assessment

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