High Stakes [Education] Testing

For John, BLUF:  What do high stakes educational tests really tell us?

I am not all that keen on long exams.  I think they are not good at judging the examinee.  I have taken the GRE several times and always did well, notwithstanding a 2.78 GPA, which put me in the bottom half of my class.

I took the LSAT in competition with my youngest Son, and beat him.  I am not sure that, of and in itself is a good thing, parenting wise, but I was trying to get him to explore that option.  He is now a Government Lawyer.  Maybe I made a big mistake.

I think this link provides an example of the extreme pressure generated by such tests, in this case a parent making a big mistake test wise.  She sneaks into a test disguised as her 19 year old daughter.  Good on her for being able to get in looking so young.  However, the story should also raises questions about high stakes testing.  The headline:

French woman accused of disguising herself as daughter to sit exam
Police question 52-year-old who reportedly sneaked into Paris exam centre to sit three-hour English Baccalauréat test

Mind you, I think such tests are very important.  How else well we know how well the school system (and, frankly, the parents) are doing in educating our youth?

The point is that such "high stakes tests" should not be used to put barriers in the way of students who wish to go on.  That is the "European" way and it ends up limiting the late bloomers and that is bad.

Regards  —  Cliff