Arne Duncan: ‘White suburban moms’ upset that Common Core shows their kids aren’t ‘brilliant’

[Deep13]

8. A bit confused here.

You say in your first sentence that the tests actually test what students are learning, but you describe it as a problem. Isn't that what we want.

Even so, the most useful test format is essay. There is no purely objective test that allows an instructor to see just how well the students understand the material. I've been in grad school for over 2 years now (history, Arabic language) and except for short-answer language tests, every assignment calls for a type-written essay of at least four pages. When teaching undergrads, the requirement is for shorter in-class handwritten essays or short (maybe three pages) typed for at home projects. The problem we have with the undergrads is that, while they may know the material (or not) they cannot seem to express themselves in writing.