POP QUIZ: Please take out your number 2 pencil and fill in the bubble..
Current standardized tests are:
a) A simplistic way of assessing learning outcomes
b) Culturally biased
c) Responsible for “teaching to the test”
d) Narrow in their focus
e) All of the above
I’m sure that when first introduced, scantron forms seemed like a wonderful invention. The technology simply and easily allowed many, many exams to be graded in a compressed period of time and has ultimately enabled a national, standards-based approach to learning. Sounds great, right? Well, perhaps, except that anyone that has taken a standardized test somewhere along the line can speak to the limits of the current approach. The complaints are familiar — standardized tests evaluate a narrow slice of learning, standardized tests measure test-taking skills rather than true knowledge or critical thinking skills, standarized tests are culturally biased, etc. And when you think about it – the approach is flawed. We have built an education system that caters to standardized tests and we build standardized tests that are grounded in what a scantron machine can read.
Looking forward, we do believe that there is a better way. Immersive, educational applications can evalutate performance as quickly as any scantron machine. But educational applications can go further. Quite simply, they can deliver a deeper exam experience than any paper-based test ever could. For now, most test-related mobile applications are focused on test-prep rather than acutal test-delivery. Many of these apps are usefuls tool for coping with our current testing system. That said, we believe that ultimately mobile devices could be the platform that not only prepares students for tests — but also the platform that delivers and grades these tests. We believe that mobile technology can unlock a fresh approach to testing — and that in a world obsessed with standards, we believe that a fresh approach to testing can enable a fresh approach to teaching — one that looks beyond the narrow confines of a number two pencil.
Interested in helping prepare your kids for this brave new world? So are we. And for today, our recommendation to you is to pick up an old classic, reimagined in modern form. There’s nothing like The Cat in the Hat — but you’ve never seen the Cat quite like this before.
Reinvented for the iPhone and the iPad, The Cat in the Hat is a perfect way to introduce kids to both reading and to their digital futures. You can get it here if you’re interested.
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