Last week's writing task was to take on the role of a parent, pupil, teacher or member of the community and write about testing of primary pupils. Here, Emma takes on the role of a parent and give a view:
As a parent of a primary school student, I am writing to tell you why my child, along with many
others, should take tests throughout each year. I feel that it could help them a lot with their
education.
My first point is that it can help teachers to understand what stage the children are at with their
learning abilities. Using the results from the tests, the teachers can figure out what subjects a child
is better at. This can ensure that everyone is doing a task that is suitable for them, and their peers.
While some children may understand some subjects, they may find others challenging. Testing
children can give a basic judgement of this.
Furthermore, when the children look back at their results, they can figure out some things for
themselves too, like what they may need to work on at home. This gives them extra opportunities
to become more independent with their learning, and to get a better understanding of all subjects,
across the curriculum.
Additionally, some students enjoy testing! It gives them a chance to reflect on their current
knowledge, and what they can do to improve. Whilst taking a test, as silence is usually expected, it
can give the students a chance to learn individually. Having their own space, not having to think
about anything else, can be very useful to some children.
Considering this, I understand that the pressure of tests can get to some people. We can try to
avoid this by reassuring the students that, although they are marked with a final score, the point of
tests is to help them with future learning, not the fact that someone else may have scored higher
than them.
I hope that you think about all the points I have made, and continue to test primary school
students throughout each and every year.
Sincerely,
Emma L
