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Opinion

High-stakes exams require change

Christian Ochoa
Opinion Columnist

College admittance has always been a high-stakes game, and some students are willing to do anything to enter the school of their dreams. The Associated Press reported that 20 desperate students in Vietnam spent more than $3,000 to use gadgets that allowed them to cheat on college entrance exams.

The gadgets included 50 mobile phones, 60 earphones and 150 SIM cards. The students used the electronic gear to get answers while taking competitive entrance exams. 

It's an extreme case of cheating, but desperate students are willing to do anything to gain admittance to a competitive school. 

Getting into schools has evolved from just having good grades to having a pristine r®¶sum®¶, and high-test scores only sweeten the deal. 

Even though counselors and advisers say extracurricular activities will shine through all the numbers on the paper, students have been taught that high-stakes exams are more than just tests.

In Texas, educators have put too much stock in the TAKS test. If a high school senior in Texas isn't able to pass the exam, the student might not be able to graduate, whether or not he has excellent grades. Years of hard work and dedication could go unnoticed because a student is a poor test-taker.

Besides carrying too much weight, the TAKS test has also run into some problems with its scoring. 

Essays that are cheerful and upbeat tend to receive higher grades than essays that are purely technical or pessimistic. 

I didn't know that writing about your childhood dog merited more points than writing about a pessimistic opinion on worldly affairs.

The SATs, the more popular °™ well, notorious really °™ college entrance exam is by far one of the most-feared exams. 

I was surprised to learn in my junior year of high school that the SATs weren't to be taken like other exams and that there were numerous strategies for high scores, which makes it seem the exam measures strategy more than knowledge.

For a reasonable price, businesses such as the Princeton Review help students learn strategies to beat the SATs. Even though the SAT started off as a °°great equalizer,°± it seems an elite few are receiving extra help.

High-stakes tests are necessary in a world where students have similar qualifications and must be differentiated among themselves. Even though they are necessary, these exams should be reformed. Too much weight is given on a sole exam, and one exam cannot possibly offer an accurate picture of a student.

Ochoa, an opinion columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at thecochoa@gmail.com.