A place with no tests?

In one of my previous blog posts, I wrote about the extreme prevalence of tests and quizzes and how it could have a detrimental effect on society. As I thought more about it over the following few days, I realized that there is another end to the spectrum- a place where there are no quantitative tests. Waldorf schools are schools that do not use standard tests or typical evaluations of their students, since they are based on more of a humanistic foundation. According to the website “Why Waldorf Works”, the Waldorf schools’ teachings are centered around instilling an inner enthusiasm for learning and present academic material in a “pictorial and dynamic manner”. Waldorf advocates say that this style of teaching eliminates the need for competitive testing or academic placements. Their curriculum is structured to respond to the three developmental phases of childhood, so the teachers bring “age appropriate” content to the students in order to nourish healthy growth. In other words, Waldorf schools are more focused on successful development and instilling motivation to learn as opposed to academic achievement and test scores.

I think the Waldorf school environment is an intriguing alternative to a school or society dependent on test scores and correct answers, but there should probably be some sort of compromise between the two extremes of test prevalence. Waldorf schools are fantastic for promoting healthy and successful personal growth but without some sort of standard testing, how can they really ensure a mastery of academic material sufficient to prepare them for university or professional life? On the other hand, schools that place so much priority on test scores and quantitative achievement could greatly benefit from some of the Waldorf practices to instill a motivation and enthusiasm to learn for themselves, not for the test. Ultimately, I think it is important to have some sort of standard evaluation, but perhaps not place too much emphasis on numeric scores as a definition of someone’s knowledge.