High-stakes testing: Pros and cons
High-stakes testing has pros and cons, just like everything else. In this article, you’ll be guided through what the purpose of high-stakes testing is, why online testing is a good idea, and what the most commonly argued pros and cons of high-stakes tests are.
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The purpose of high stakes testing
High-stakes testing in education is often used for events such as grade promotions, awards, and scholarships, or for college entrance examinations. The purpose of high-stakes testing is just like any other test, to measure a student’s skills and knowledge, but in a high-stakes situation. In the times of the digital age and the covid-19 pandemic, online testing has become more commonly used than before, including high-stake tests. However, high-stakes testing in education online comes with both pros and cons.
Pros with High-stakes testing online
- The new generation has grown up in the digital age, and some could feel more comfortable doing a high-stakes test online.
- You can prevent cheating well by limiting the students’ screens only to the testing program.
- All students can be treated equally with an anonymous grading system.
- You can proctor the exam both live and see the activity afterward on a PDF
Cons with High-stakes testing online
- A bad internet connection may cause disruptions during the examination.
- Could make it easier for students to cheat.
- Applications are only compatible with for example PC or MAC.
- A complicated application that is hard to use.
There are on the other hand solutions to the cons mentioned above. Digiexam has developed an application that first of all has full offline compatibility and there is no risk of a bad internet connection ruining the test. You also have the ability to proctor the whole test live and get access to credit reports after the examination. Digiexam is compatible with PC, Mac, Managed Chromebooks, and iPad. Their application prevents the most commonly stated cons of online high-stakes testing in education from ever becoming a problem.
Should you use high-stakes testing in education?
High-stakes testing comes with pros and cons and is continuously discussed among students, teachers, and parents. Many argue that high-stakes testing narrows down the education because teachers want to appear well, and therefore “teach students the test”. Opponents to high-stakes testing also argue that it could be correlated with increased failure and lower education. On the other side, proponents claim that it motivates students to work harder and learn more and that it also engages teachers to have a varied education to appear well.
Digiexam makes it more secure and easier to do a high-stakes test online. Using pen and paper is more expensive in the long run and has started to become obsolete in the digital age we live in. Digiexam is solving many of the challenges of online high-stakes testing, ensuring high exam integrity of all types of high-stakes testing.
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