One question BMS students were thinking about once that bell rang Wednesday, March 11, 2020 is “Will there be tests?” It’s an important issue: what role will online tests have in a distance learning curriculum? 

Bedford and most schools in the country quickly have had to switch over to distance learning and online classes while in quarantine. Some classes have already had tests by Google Forms. But since students have all the answers at their fingertips via the internet, what makes for demonstrating what a student has learned difficult to evaluate.

Bedford 7th grader Cooper Paul suggested we not have tests because we have the source of the internet, and some could possibly cheat. He also said we could have tests through a Google Meet. This would work by the teacher asking students questions through a video and students would answer it. In this situation, we wouldn’t have the internet. “Google Meet with the teacher and they give you a question and you answer by looking at them so they know you’re not cheating.”

7th grader Nate Hordon gave a different response for if we should have testing or not. “Yes, tests are the reason that we should be studying. If there were no tests, people would not take their time to learn the material and just complete the work as quickly as possible.” Students say they study all this material for a reason. If teachers teach the material, tests are making sure they understand the material.

Mr. Rob Rogers, a 7th grade social studies teacher, sees testing as a real difficulty.

“One of the best ways to assess how students are taking in and understanding what they are learning is by seeing and interacting with them in a classroom setting. Not having that face-to-face time makes it more difficult. I have to ascertain if the students are understanding the material through other means. Each student is different and while some may excel at tests, others do better in writing.” 

He also pointed out that with regards to teaching, the most difficult thing is that you don’t see your student and can’t help on the spot as easily when needed.”