IS EXAMS THE BEST FORM OF ASSESSMENT? WHY?

By Swaraaj Bhattacharya

I just got my report card at the end of the year and I have not done well in my Semester Exams. I need my Dad’s signature on it. I take it to my Dad. He looks at the grades through his glasses. I can see the eyes getting bigger and the temper rising. I wished I could just become invisible at the moment. And there came out the anger “Why did you do so badly in Math? I am shocked. I thought it was your most favorite subject.” I felt like a duffer. I wanted to explain but my lips were sealed. I just took in all the mental bashing. It did no good to my confidence. I wondered when all this tormenting will end. Well, there is no way out until I complete my education.

So is appearing for exams the best way to judge me if I am good or not good?? No, I don’t think it is the best way to judge my intelligence because;

No. 1 I have limited time to answer my questions and I can sense my blood pressure rising and with sweat on my forehead it is not the most relaxed environment for my brain to function normally. What I could answer in I hour, I couldn’t do in 45 minutes.

Secondly, do you think it’s necessary for one to memorize every word of the book and spill it out in the exam? In today’s world with internet at our disposal one can have enough information about every field within a few minutes? So I believe that rather than stressing out preparing for an exam one should utilize that time on better understanding of the subject and working towards creativity.

In conclusion I would say that judging a student’s abilities by conducting exams is NOT always the best method of assessment. Apart from exams students should be judged on a daily basis looking at his/her creativity, effort, and understanding of subject.

Thank you

Are Tests a good form of Assessment

By Aneesh Roy

Today I am going to talk about the positive aspects of tests.  Let’s see “What is a Test?” Tests assess our knowledge and skills in various subject areas.  We all impatiently wait for our test grades. 

Standard pencil and paper tests have many advantages.  They are a reliable way of testing a large number of students in their abilities to understand and retain concepts.   Tests are increasingly becoming computerized, which is making them an even more efficient method of assessment.   Testing students in the traditional way reduces costs, and provides quick and accurate scores.  Can you imagine a better way of testing the millions of students in Texas without standardized way like the TAKS!  Although my brother frets and fumes about it, TAKS is the most effective way of testing students at a grade level.

Tests that are standardized present a pass/fail result. These results are fair and unbiased.  They grade all students, rich or poor, good or bad equally.  Tests that pass judgment on a student’s knowledge and subject area content are free of the graders opinion and only check the accuracy of answers.  This makes results reliable and a true assessment of every student’s ability.

Do you know what tests make you do?  A test is a task of 20 or more questions that you have to finish in a certain amount of time.  This is similar to holding a job when you are an adult.  In that case your boss assigns you a task to be completed within a deadline.  Student who are prepared in school to write tests, are actually getting ready to be successful at a real job.  Opponents of tests should remember that a workplace is a series of tests starting with the job interview.

I will conclude by saying that tests are an important part of life and not many things can be substituted to perform their function.  If you are good then tests shouldn’t bother you, because you will ace them all.

Tests are not the best form of Assessment

By Adreesh Roy

      One of the many faults in standardized testing is pressure.  Pressure is the anxiety you feel before an important event in your life.  This is what affects a first time test-takers and others who haven’t mastered the skill to control the nervousness that comes with them.  Test anxiety leads to competitiveness.  This creates an environment in which getting a good score becomes so important that young students resort to cheating and other immoral activities. Students that succumb to the pressure and anxiety of tests face repetitive failure. This gives the student a negative outlook and an apathy towards education in general, saying, “why bother?”  This caused an alarming drop out rate when pressure takes the form of psychological illness, students suffer from depression, which has led to suicides, obesity and other general health problems.  Testing children as early as 5 or 6 and thus exposing them to the ills of test anxiety should force us to question the value that assessments bring.

    

     To pass most tests, all the material must be memorized and reproduced.  But tell me this; do you see a person working on a pen and paper test in his or her office? I didn’t think so.  In the real world, tests do not exist.  Projects are basically the assessments in the work world. It shows both creativity and knowledge all in one end product.  I strongly feel that standardized tests should be replaced with projects that require creativity and collaboration on the part of individuals.

     The iPod is a perfect example of the creativity of the human mind and the synergy that results when humans work together.  The project was conceived in India.  2 people made software for storing music digitally in a format never known before.  We consider this the “initial product team.” The multi- national company Apple discovers this is while scouting for promising new products into which it would like to expand.  “The Managing Team” in America consisting of product developers, marketers and savvy business people now design and make the actual iPod as we know it. When the need to mass-produce this piece of innovation arrived the “production team” in China took over.  The invention and popularity of the iPod is a true example of the challenges in today’s workplace.  

    Our tests should prepare us to work in such a multi-cultural workplace where the creativity of individuals and their unique skills are put to test.  In such a world, repetitive and cookie-cutter assessments hold no significance.

     

Higher education is a must in today’s world

By Swaraaj Bhattacharya

I am sweating and it is 11:59 pm, and all the ovens are steaming hot. My boss is screaming at me to hurry up. I am flipping the 99th burger of the day. I am feeling sorry for myself for not listening to my dad when I was in school. I wish I had gone for higher education. I didn’t go for it after I completed high school and here I am “flipping burgers” and feeling sorry for myself. All of a sudden my bedside alarm rings (tring tring tring) and I wake up. Thank God it was only a dream.

My Dad always tells me that education is key to success and knowledge is wealth.

Now I am going to explain in 3 points why higher education is crucial in today’s world.

Why should you go for bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees?

The most important answer to this question is more opportunity. As opposed to generations of the past, high school graduates today are unable to obtain the number of high-paying jobs that were once available. But college-graduates do get higher paid jobs today and that is a fact.

The 2nd reason as to why it is important to go to college. When students experience a post secondary education, they have the opportunity to read books and listen to the lectures of top experts in their fields. This stimulation encourages students to think, ask questions, and explore new ideas, which allows for additional growth and development.

The importance of a college education is also accentuated because of the opportunity to gain valuable resources during your tenure. It helps you make more connections and relations which ultimately help in your job search.

Now I would like to conclude by saying in this global economy it is becoming increasingly more competitive. In order to get the best opportunities for a well paid job, one must certainly understand the importance of higher education. If I want to have a good life style and give my children a head start I need to be well educated to begin with.

Thankyou.

Higher Education Important in the 21st Century

By Adreesh Roy

In today’s world, higher education is like motherhood; it will cure just about anything in an America that is threatened by globalization, outsourcing, and income inequality. No matter how well Americans are educated, global competition and rapidly changing technology is having adverse effects on the American labor force.

After World War II, America emerged as an economic and military power. We have cherished the supremacy for the last 50 years. In this period America saw an unparallel economic boom. It was during this period that our parents migrated to this land of opportunities. Today, the US workers face a great new threat. Americans who are now joining the workforce compete against legions of college grads in China, India and Philippines that are willing to work 2 times as hard for 1/5th the pay. Our employers take advantage of this huge wage difference between the US and developing nations to outsource more and more jobs each year. A recent study shows that 25% of US jobs are off-shore-able. Not surprisingly these are mostly routine tasks. In such a market higher education becomes imperative while we downsize ranks of operators, secretaries, analysts and other routine tasks.

Data shows that of the 22 fields in which job growth will be promising in the 21st century, 20 are in advanced sciences like robotics, engineering, biotechnology & health care. All these fields will require Americans to pursue graduate levels of education.

Detroit has been long been called “the automobile capital of the world and has been a leading employer of this sector. I want to walk you through the transformation of the job market in Detroit over the span of three generations. Let’s take a look at a family in Detroit, MI. A person’s grandfather did not go to college but could still work in an assembly line at the car factory. That same job has now been automated and can be performed by robotic hands. To find employment with that same car company the grandchildren will need a higher more specialized field of education in order to troubleshoot and ensure the smooth working of a much more technical and complex assembly line. It has been said that cities with a higher proportions of college graduates can react more quickly to technological changes and learn new skills readily. Cities like Boston nicknamed “information city”, have fared much better in these last two decades than cities like Detroit with lower levels of education.

Jobs all around the world have become more technical. This has lead to the elimination of repetitive cookie-cutter type of jobs. The only jobs that have survived in this rapidly automated world are the ones that require analysis and problem solving skills only acquired by higher education.

I hope I have persuaded my peers present here that getting a higher education beyond high school is a pre-requisite to realizing the hopes and dreams of your parents and to acquire that “mazaratti” you swoon over.

Higher Education is a must in today's world

By Aneesh Roy

I think you should have higher education because you can make the world a better place. Without specialized knowledge making new useful inventions is impossible. People with a higher education have more choices of jobs than people who don’t.


In today’s world higher education or a college degree is essential to lead a good life. This is different from our grandparent’s era, when you could compensate education with hard work. Look around you at our parents and their friends. The reason our parents live and work comfortably in a country like America is because they went to some of the best colleges for higher education.

According to the last census Americans with a college degree earned 60% more than those with just a high school degree. Another way to look at these numbers is that a family headed by a college educated person earns around $1.6 MM more that one led by a high school diploma holder in their lifetime. Most financial analysts will agree that the best investments you can ever make is one – on your education which returns $34 for every dollar you invest.

The world is changing rapidly. New technology and innovation happen every day. In order to keep up with such a world or community, we need to grasp complex concepts and theories. We should be able to express our thoughts clearly in speech and writing. Higher education prepares us to face this world.

Not only do we need to survive in this world but contribute to it as well. Going to college for a masters and higher degree helps create inventors and innovators. 2 out of 3 major inventions come out of institutions dedicated to research. Such institutions employ people with quaternary level of education.

Next time when you hear from someone to “Complete your homework”, right when you were about to pick up the TV remote, DON’T FROWN. Remember – that "1 page of homework could be small step for you but a giant leap for Mankind" – You may be the next famous inventor.

Two things I would do to change the world

By Swaraaj Bhattacharya

Today I am going to talk about “Two things I think need to be changed in today’s world”.

If you look around more and more computers and internet is being used these days. Because of internet we don’t need to write letters on paper any more, don’t need to print documents on paper and no need to use paper textbooks. All this can be accomplished online.

So my first point is to change this world into a paperless society. Why would I need to do this? This is required because paper comes from trees and fuel is used in production of paper. Since we are cutting down more and more trees and using immense amount of fuel this is leading to global warming. Hence the lesser the paper we use, the lesser the trees we will cut down and lesser amount of fuel we will use, this will eventually help us in saving the Earth.

My second point about the change I would like to make is to provide children with healthy meals at schools. If they continue to eat junk food on a regular basis they will grow up to have diseases like diabetes and heart problems. This will also make them obese at a very young age. I would like to make such changes that there is no junk food available on the racks for the students to buy at school. The options for lunch at school should be salads, milk, healthy sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, carrots, celery sticks etc… Hence it they have healthy choices they will grow up to be healthy and smart individuals.

I am now going to conclude by summarizing my speech. Two things I would like to change in today’s world ….firstly by reducing use of paper in everyday life which will help in reducing global warming. Secondly will make changes in student’s lunch menu by providing healthy options. This would lead to students eating healthier food and thus growing to be healthy individuals. I hope this will make a difference in today’s world.