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This unit discusses the importance of evaluating your students. The first evaluation, the diagnostic exam will let you know where the student currently stands in their knowledge of English. Once a teacher knows the language level of the student, she/he can then either group similar students together or tailor the class for the different levels of knowledge. Progress tests are a good means of determining how much the students are learning but I don't think that too much emphasis should be put on tests. There are too many factors including test-anxiety and good memory and regurgitation skills that can make a student do poorly or do well. I have a student that gets 100% on every English progress test. However, if I ask her anything outside the confines of the class topics covered, she stares at me with a completely blank expression. On paper, she appears to be doing very well. But the reality is that she cannot hold a simple conversation in English. I have another student who usually falls in the range of 80% correct on exams. However, his conversation skills are excellent and the tests are not designed to include conversation. It is my opinion, that my second student is more successful in learning English than my first student. Despite not wanting to place too much emphasis on tests, it is still important that the students learn how to take external and internal tests, especially if they want to go to school abroad. Mastery of test taking is a skill that each student should acquire and I believe it is a teacher's job to help them with that.
