Issue 9- Do High Stakes Assessments Improve Learning?

I have never been a fan of believing that only number scores determine a school's credibility. There are so many methods of learning and test taking, but teachers and administrators don't explore all the options. They need to take into account that not all students are the same, that they learn differently and test differently. While some students may be very good at math and multiple choice tests, others may be good at creative writing and learning visually. If schools are going to be constantly tested (within the schools, and at the state and national levels), tests should be altered in such a way that they allow every student to thrive in the way that they are comfortable. Granted they can't always have it their way, but if a student is good at one method of learning and testing people should not expect them to test well at something they aren't familiar with.