Are test scores a good indication of a school's competency?

Are test scores a good indication of a school’s competency?

Test scores of Student’s are observed as an essential means of assessing an institution’s progress in comparison to all other educational institutions. Conventionally, students’ acquiring high scores are deemed as the bright and all the schools sight them as their levers reserves that are a means of enhancing the institute reputation (Astin, 5). This paper caters with a scrupulous description of the degree to which test scores are useful in reviewing a school’s competency. It emphasizes the factor influencing the assessment founded upon appraisals of school competency level connected to test scores of student. It as well presents a number of substitute methods in positioning the utilization of test scores in an additional precise means consecutively to determine school competency methodically.

Argument

Test scores are a functional tool in assessing the schools performance given that they are construed extremely cautiously, keeping in mind the objectives and reasons of tests. A solitary test can simply replicate a test of skills; consequently, each score engross mistake to some extent. Preponderance of factors control scores, predominantly reliability and validity. If reliable tests are taken at standard intervals, they give up steady results. Valid tests similar to the ones testing reading decoding students skills are useful in unraveling the strong and weak students. Owing to this valid and reliable tests are tremendously useful in unraveling the fine category of students (Popham, 15).

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The center function of a school is to educate its students the material on the syllabus. The mainly most favorable approach to discover the capabilities of learning of the students is to review them in the course of proper tests. This is the grounds why test scores specify school competency to the level of teaching. Excellent test scores point out that the material is fine taught by the teachers of school and is influential in students motivating to study for the test. It specifies that the school teachers give emphasis to in choosing the material the majority expected to appear in exam as contrast to the mainly functional material (Astin, 7). High test scores specify that the material is drilled extremely well into the students the heads and they learn it well. On the other hand it does not explain that whether the material is fine understood or is merely reproduced on the base of the just mugging up facts feed into the students minds.

Schools sense extremely proud and get huge status when their students accomplish high scores in tests. People as well are inclined to continue those schools simply in their good books, whose students are accomplishing high scores in test (Astin, 8). Parents review a quality standard of a school’s by having a glance at the scores achieved by the school students. Test scores specify a school’s competence in capitulating qualified candidates for future. Test scores are the simply means which present an neutral means of assessing competency, in spite of the fact that they do not cover up all the features necessary for evaluating system of education of a school.

Supplementary resources similar to government funds and distribution of rewards and scholarship by the governmental participate a significant function in enhancing a competency level of school. These resources are awarded to schools on the base of test scores obtained by the students. Consequently high test scores will improve the likelihood of a school in achieving these supplementary resources which will eventually receive a fine name for the school and will improve the competency level of school’s too.

Counter Argument

Some test scores apart from this, simply furnish definite purposes. Standard scores and percentiles do not offer facts for growth of student, they merely offer a virtual standing in comparison to others. Scores similar to words read properly or numeral of multiplication problems solved properly replicates a progress of students above time (Popham, 27). The entire these scores point out how well a school adds in making children to be taught up to the fullest extent.

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Test scores are one of the more than a few ways of determining competency of a school, yet it is not the solitary means to do so owing to a diversity of reasons. Test scores simply calculate academic competency and does not cover up regions similar to school catering and transport, student behavior standards extra-curricular activities, general atmosphere of the school, etc. All these features comprise an essential part of school appraisal. Furthermore, high scores as well point out a prospect that the school might not be competent to aid less competent students, or it does not affably provides the ones having education disabilities. It is an analytic of the reality that the school is not fine at demeanor undisciplined kids, who are not in a temper to be taught and merely kicks them out. An atmosphere which is entirely centered on academic accomplishment does not be apt to be a well alternative for kids (Smith, 11). Students endeavor for grades simply in such an environment and activities similar to art, drama, sports, and socialization are missing behind (Smith, 13). An extreme spotlight on basic math and reading scores can direct to over-simplifying and narrowing the curriculum to simply the formats and subjects that are tested. This effect in reducing the consideration to science, history, the arts, civics, and foreign language, in addition to to writing, research, and additional intricate tasks of problem-solving (Popham 80). This eventually alters the spotlight of the school towards academics solitarily, which is not the only prerequisite for acquiring brilliance in education for schools.

Alternative Approaches towards Measuring School Competency Level Using Test Scores

Test scores can simply be helpful in demonstrating the schools competency level located in a exacting area, experience equal demographic conditions and consisting of children at the similar level. On the other hand, if public schools in a variety of areas are assessed on the base of test scores, then such assessment as well needs to remember the conditions adjacent a exacting education system of a school. Test scores might be additional functional and precise in determining the school competency level when employed in combination with a variety of other tools and techniques. Test scores require being included in school’s competency; on the other hand they must not be the individual decision maker for educational decisions concerning, retention, or graduation (Braun 15). Tests scores can be employed in combination with parent information, every day work samples, and history of school and its fit surroundings for evaluating the school competency level. The efficacy of test scores can additional be enhanced competent assessment personnel similar to school psychologists provide a hand in preparing suitable mechanism for interpreting and testing their results.

Conclusion

Students Test scores are at the present used as a means of computing efficiency on the base of student outcomes, as opposite to teacher input. A school is deemed to be extremely reputed if it has bunch of students accomplishing high scores in tests. Test scores on the other hand provide a hand in representing academic competency merely and the degree to which the training were sound taught in school. In additional words high test scores merely offer a snap of student ability and do not offer an report of student’s supplementary skills and activities. In addition, test score do not evaluate the standards of behavior in schools, their environment, teaching techniques and styles of teachers. Test scores have got to not be exclusively used for assessing the competency of schools. On the other hand they can be employed in combinations with tools like teacher’s interviews, videotapes from class, lesson plans, etc. to obtain an exact standing of a competency level of schools.