Evaluating for learning, the aim of standardized tests?

When I think of the sense of assessing students, I think of the reasons why we do it. Not only now that I have a little of experience in teaching but also as a student. As I analyze different perspectives I can notice two general aims when we talk about aims of assessment.

Assessing for promoting more effective learning:  this is the kind of assessment we should implement in every single classroom. It is known that assessment is part of the teaching process; but teaching requires a process of making mistakes, correcting and receiving input that sometimes can be kind of feedback that students need. Also, as students get ready to be assessed, they are revising the input they had received and practicing what they are supposed to practice to then, be able to show their acquired knowledge and be willing to receive feedback to reach a better level of proficiency.

Assessing for political implications: Here, we take into account standardized tests where everyone takes a test which will determine if a student is accepted or not in a specific institution such as a public university, or whether the institution where (s)he was “prepared” reached the standards that determine if that learner is proficient in a certain domain.

Both types of assessment measure knowledge on behalf of the students, but do both of them ensure an effective learning? I dare say, no. Only in case of the first one I mentioned, learning is promoted due to its formative nature when the teacher has the chance to give feedback.

In the second one, where standardized tests give the opportunities for students to enjoy a privilege, this promotion of learning is not visible. According to Brown (2003), there exists a thorny situation inside the classrooms because of these tests. Teaching and learning are driven by them and other important criteria of the curriculum are left aside. This promotes only extrinsic motivation in teachers and students, who only worry about performing well in a test that in the end, will not lead to further learning.

It is virtually inevitable to skip standardized tests in educational field, so we as teachers should constantly reflect on the importance of formative assessment and teach students that the learning process is what is valuable for them in reality. Of course we all should keep the balance so as for us not to over nor underestimate any of the two kinds of examinations.