Although many educators view benchmark testing in schools as just another assessment that they have to fit into their regular curriculum, there are actually benefits to this type of testing.
These tests are not only designed to help educators evaluate their students’ performance against other national and international schools, but they also help gauge whether their teaching methods are effective. The ultimate goal here is to understand if students are learning the important lessons being taught and whether they can then apply what they’ve learned once they’re in the ‘real world’.
Here are some important aspects of student benchmark testing that students can apply to ‘real world’ situations.
Benchmark Testing Encourages Problem-Solving
Because benchmark testing does not use the regular structure of multiple-choice questions and answers, when students take these tests, they are required to think through individual problems in order to give constructive answers.
This encourages problem-solving and makes students assess what they’ve learned so far and how to apply this knowledge to best answer the questions being asked.
In normal employment situations, being able to problem-solve is an important aspect of day-to-day activities. Therefore, benchmark testing is helping students to better understand how to look at different problems and then apply the best solutions for the right outcome.
Introduces Students To Benchmarking Commonly Used In Many Industries
Benchmark testing is not only used in schools. Many different organizations around the world use benchmarks to evaluate each individual employee’s performance and the company’s performance as a whole.
Therefore, student benchmark testing is an introduction to how companies function and how performance is measured in many different types of employment situations.
Once students are familiar with benchmarks, it will make it easier for them when they come across these in their various careers and they will be better able to deal with these challenges.
Benchmark Testing Encourages Competitiveness
Let’s face it. The world is a competitive place and if people want to progress in their chosen career, they have to develop a certain level of competitiveness. In other words, they have to strive to be better and work more efficiently than some of their peers.
Many businesses also use benchmarking in order to outperform their competitors. Therefore, if students are exposed to this process while they’re still in school, it prepares them well in advance, especially if they have a desire to set up their own business.
They will have a better understanding of the competitiveness that they are going to have to engage in so that their business can survive and grow well into the future.
It Helps Students To Understand Goal Setting
Goal setting is an important aspect of real life. Not only for career and business goals but also for achievements in personal life. However, goal setting is not considered a subject that is commonly taught in schools.
With benchmark testing, there are certain goals that need to be achieved so that students can achieve or exceed the common benchmarks that are set across the global school environment.
This helps educators by alerting them to the goals that they should be aiming at for their students. Consequently, this will encourage educators to alert their students to the goals they need to strive toward and opens up the discussion on effective goal setting.
In Summary
Benchmark testing is a different way of assessing student performance and it can have many benefits for these students once they get into the “real world”.
These benefits include developing good problem-solving skills, raising their level of competitiveness, introducing them to performance testing in the workplace, and helping to understand effective goal setting.