Using External Assessment Tools to Evaluate Student Achievement and to Guide Curricular Improvement

There are many things that can only be taught by experiences. The most important things that we learn, we learn outside the classroom. Why don’t we take school outside the classroom then? Schools could easily teach and evaluate their students in external environments. If this was done, students would learn more valuable lessons and their school experience would be more enjoyable. Universities should use external assessment tools to evaluate student achievement and to guide curricular improvement.
A good example of how people learn important things in the external environment is figuring out which career to pursue. Nothing will help you figure out if you like a career more than experiencing it hands on, which is something you can’t do in the classroom (unless your pursuing a teaching career). During my senior year in high school, I had to do a Senior Project. For my Senior Project I got to choose a person of any career to job shadow for 25 hours. I choose to shadow Dave Mcallister, a Surgical Assistant RN at my local hospital. I have always had an interest in the medical field and thought that this would be a good choice for me. During this experience I fell in love with surgery and Dave’s job. After I was done shadowing Dave, I wrote an essay and preformed a presentation about my experience, on which I was accessed. I learned much more preparing for that assessment than I have ever learned preparing for a regular test. I found that project to be a life changing experience. Because of this project, I am now perusing a Nursing degree.
I believe that external testing shows more about what the student has learned than in-class testing does. Having students do a standardized test only shows how good a student is at cramming and standardized-test taking. When a student is assessed in a different way, such as in a real life situation or giving a presentation, they are forced to learn the material. Standardized testing is not something that people need to know after they graduate from school, so is there any reason that students should be forced to become good at it?
Assessment is a very important part of the school system. Because of assessment being so important, the best way should be used. Students don’t want to sit in a classroom all day taking standardized test that will make or break their grade. If universities decided to use external testing the students and professors would be happier and the students would feel like there were getting more out of their money. If universities want curricular improvement they should use external assessment tools to evaluate student achievement.