Testing Helps Learning.

In today's New York Times, there is a story regarding the effectiveness of testing; testing, at least one study reveals, not only assesses knowledge, but actually helps learning. The story's lead:

Taking a test is not just a passive mechanism for assessing how much people know, according to new research. It actually helps people learn, and it works better than a number of other studying techniques.

You can read the entire story here. This is further evidence that testing is not only important for assessment, but also that testing is valuable as a learning tool.

I am big on testing. I don't think that it is the end of everything, but I do think that it is important, and I think that it is evidence of a school's effectiveness. There is, of course, an opposing view, exemplified by the film Race to Nowhere. You can read about the backlash against testing here.

Whatever the efficacy of testing, the reality is this: tests matter. Throughout our lives, we are given tests, and how we do on those tests help determine the opportunities we have. It may not be fair, it may not be accurate, but it is a stark reality of life. And a good school recognizes this and will help prepare its students for it. Thus, at Kadima we don't shy away from honest, clear, and effective assessment of our students and our program.

It's good to read today that tests not only useful for assessment purposes; they also help learning.

But we already knew that.