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Why stick to an assessment method that itself creates inequality?
🇳🇴 Norway /Culture & Society

Why stick to an assessment method that itself creates inequality?

From Aftenposten · () Norwegian

Translated from Norwegian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Opinion Named sources Context piece
  • The debate over exam tools like Safe Exam Browser (SEB) misses the point, as the core issue is the fairness of the entire assessment system.
  • Critics argue that the current exam system, particularly the lottery of subject selection, inherently creates inequality among students.
  • The article calls for a fundamental reform of the assessment system to create a more equitable evaluation method for students.

The ongoing debate in Norway about exam tools, specifically the Safe Exam Browser (SEB), is fundamentally missing the mark, according to the Norwegian Students' and Pupils' Organisation (Elevorganisasjonen).

For us in the Students' Organisation, the question is whether an exam can be fair at all.

— ElevorganisasjonenThe Students' Organisation questions the fundamental fairness of the current examination system.

While organizations like the Teachers' Union (Lektorlaget) and Oslo school principals clash over whether SEB hinders or helps student performance, the Students' Organisation argues that the discussion should shift from the tools themselves to the underlying assessment system.

To be drawn up is a lottery where some are tested in their weakest subjects and others in their strongest.

— ElevorganisasjonenThe Students' Organisation describes the random selection of exam subjects as a lottery that can create unequal testing conditions.

"For us in the Students' Organisation, the question is whether an exam can be fair at all," the organization states. They highlight that the current system, which involves drawing subjects for examination, is akin to a lottery. This lottery can disadvantage students by testing them in their weakest subjects while others are tested in their strongest. Furthermore, the evaluation process is subject to variations in grading, teaching quality, and subjective judgment from sensors.

In addition, the assessment is characterized by variation in sensors, teaching, and discretion.

— ElevorganisasjonenThe Students' Organisation points out inconsistencies in grading and teaching that affect the fairness of assessments.

The Teachers' Union has suggested that uniformity in exams requires a common examination arrangement. However, the Students' Organisation questions the logic of adhering to an assessment method that inherently fosters inequality. They contend that society, schools, and students have evolved, necessitating a corresponding evolution in the assessment system. The organization advocates for creating a more equitable system for final evaluations rather than focusing on technical solutions.

Instead of discussing technical solutions, we should create a more fair system for final assessment!

— ElevorganisasjonenThe Students' Organisation calls for a focus on systemic reform rather than technological fixes for exam fairness.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Aftenposten in Norwegian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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