CHALLENGES OF TEACHERS IN TESTING AND EVALUATING THE STUDENTS

DURING THE PANDEMIC

I could not help but remember a student of mine who courageously ask me this
question “Miss, do you want us to pass?” I honestly answered “Of course, yes.” He replied
“But why have this 3-meter apart examination?” “Why do these exam questions seem
arduous and unanswerable?”

This scenario partly depicts the challenges I have encountered in assessing my

students- last semester, before the covid-19 pandemic- in which I believe all, if not, then
most teachers could relate to. You have delivered effortfully your lesson, but after a 10-
item quiz, you got a highest and lowest score of six and one. You have reviewed the
lessons before the exam and there are still students who did not reach the passing score.

Looking back, teachers already have existing and recurring struggles and
challenges in testing and evaluating students. Now, with the covid-19 pandemic, it is more
than a challenge; it’s a test for teachers.

There are two main points I would like to highlight. First, this crisis would test
teachers’ willingness to adapt to change. The willingness to explore and try varied
approaches in testing and evaluating the students. Testing and evaluation these days
become more and more a struggle. If teachers don’t have the willingness to look for the
best platform which he/she could use to assess his/her students, the validity of the tests
seem questionable. Moreover, teachers should really look for the best platform as there
are numerous learning management systems which we could use, but there are really
LMS that would serve as the perfect, if not, then the best platform to address the needs
of our learners. An example of this are platforms for conducting examinations, teachers
could make use of google forms, Exam.net, Schoology, and the like. In addition, together
with willingness, patience and endurance are also vital to survive in the academe these
days.

Second, this crisis would test teachers’ determination on how to possibly achieve
the desirable learning outcomes which would be the basis for the formulation of the
assessment materials. What would you test if there is nothing to be tested? Considering
the principles of assessment, its primary purpose is to improve student learning. This
would provide us useful information whether our students have reached important
learning goals and their progress. The next big question is “How to properly test and
evaluate students that would be the basis for their promotion in higher level education?”
If cheating is rampant even in normal face-to-face class, how much more if they could just
open their books, notes and chat with their classmates while taking the exam? What if
they would just ask someone to answer a test for them? This pandemic times call for
teachers to employ practices and methods especially designed for distance learning that
are consistent with learning goals, instruction, and current knowledge of how students
learn.
The normal before had already several challenges to look into. The new normal is more
than a challenge, it’s a test teachers should and must pass.