Every student has their own unique strengths, weaknesses, and goals for future successes, but in order to reach those successes, students must adequately prove their abilities through some form of testing. Unfortunately, recent studies seem to prove that tests might not be the best way for students to demonstrate their abilities.

In our seemingly flawed school system, many students have reached a barrier that they simply cannot pass: tests. For students who do not perform effectively in a testing environment, alternate forms of assessments allow students to excel, all while strengthening selective skills of understanding and performance.

Educational Psychologist and University of North Alabama Professor Leah Whitten believes the answer to utilizing alternate assessment lies within the student, stating, “Not all students learn the same way. This should drive the understanding that we should not assess [students] in the same way either.”

Here in Madison, many students and teachers have evolved to new aspects of learning. Bob Jones English teacher Nichole Schwartz is one.

“We often don’t get time in an AP class for creative activities because we have so little time to cover so much [information],” Schwartz mentioned. “So, unfortunately, creative projects are typically set aside.” However, sometimes, doing creative projects allow the students to “be able to shine when they are not able to shine in writing.”

Schwartz incorporated a liberal rubric and a judged assessment for students to demonstrate their creative understanding of a course book, Frankenstein. Students were asked to present their understanding with minimal instructions, and the results were fascinating.

“I wanted to assess their mastery,” Schwartz emphasized. “Had [my students] been listening? Had they been participating? Were they understanding?”

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One of the groups stood out in a way very few had. The nature of its presentation was stunning and emotionally encompassing: a musical narration. Four musicians got together and transcribed and compressed a orchestral piece for a quartet to be narrated over. Schwartz stating that “the narration echoes the musical sentiment that is occurring, which is basically what an author does in literature: pulling the reader through their emotions.”

Although Schwartz said some groups presented a PowerPoint presentation, presenting in a way that made the student’s comfortable ultimately showed their mastery effectively. Whether their presentation was of a nesting doll or a clay model, students were allowed to be assessed on what makes them comfortable: “in their medium,” as stated by Schwartz.

Another form of alternate assessment, as highlighted by Madison City Schools’ Daniel Whitt, is incorporating digital portfolios into the curriculum. Whitt believes a new way of assessing would further benefit the understanding of students to a new level.

As stated by many instructors in Whitt’s video, “Digital Portfolios – The Whole Child, The Whole Story,” the incorporation of digital portfolios will allow students to showcase who they are, regardless of academic skill sets

These forms of assessment allow for students to adequately show their understanding in a unique way that not only benefit their understanding, but also their strengths and interests.

Some Bob Jones students prefer taking alternate assessments as opposed to a traditional test. Sophomore Love Lundy prefers projects and essays, as they work best for her.

In comparison, Freshman Maggie Brown prefers socratic seminars, while Hadley Rosengrant, sophomore, “hates” socratic seminars.

Unfortunately, the thought of “testing” seems to be associated with a traditional test, but it turns out tests might be essential. “In order for the teacher to adjust instruction, students must be assessed. We as a society think the word ‘test‘ is the proper way to do this. In fact, testing is the same as assessing,” Whitten emphasized. “Assessment is vital to good teaching. The problem is that we, as a society, need to stop looking at assessments as tests.”

Based on the modern understanding of the way different students learn, evidence shows that every student has a unique preference in the way they learn and present their understanding.

According to a survey conducted with nearly 60 students at Bob Jones High School, 7% of students believe traditional tests always shows a student’s strengths and weaknesses, while 65% of students believe traditional tests sometimes or never depict a student’s strengths and weaknesses.

Many students, like Senior William Spiegel, believe the system that is used to grade students is ridiculous, stating, “standardized [and traditional tests] don’t determine the skill of the student.” Adding that different forms of assessment are “far more interactive, and [students] actually have a chance to display the knowledge [they] gained.”

Although there is a chance of an “uninformed teacher” not doing an adequate job in giving alternate assessments, Whitten believes that, overall, alternate assessments possibly could do “wonders for student self esteem, since of belonging, and their motivation to perform better in the classroom.”

Whether through digital portfolios, socratic seminars, story creations, or essays, students are given the opportunity to display what matters to them and their creative side, regardless of their abilities in test- or assessment taking, to further enhance their educational learning experience.

Through our 21st century level and standard of education, the utilization of alternate assessments provide the ability to assess students with the abilities they have, rather than with the abilities they do not have.