It’s SAT season, you can feel the tension and anxiety in the air. Hundreds of thousands of students are eagerly waiting to get labeled with a number than can potentially shape their lives.

From the mandatory state English and math tests, to the SAT, the scores that we get are put in our record and affect where we would go to high school and then even college.

Ever since I can remember, assessments are given out so that teachers can put a number on a student and try to quantify their ability and intelligence. If only they knew how wrong they were.

A student’s intelligence and capabilities reach far beyond any test that can be administered. It is impossible to quantify how “good” a student is going to be by having them sit down for six hours taking a test.

Enough research and studies have been done to show that it is time to move away from tests and assessments. Educators need to stop trying to put a number on a student and instead focus their attention on the lesson plans and classroom environment that they are creating.

I recently took a class where the teacher did not have us take notes off of a powerpoint slide, like most do. Instead she gave us the reading material that we needed and told us that we were expected to have a fruitful discussion about it the next day.

As the semester dragged on, we did not have any quizzes or tests and I began to wonder how she was grading us for the class. So, I stayed after class one day and I asked her.

“I am beyond grades in this class,” she said, “I am more focused on trying to make sure that everyone is understanding the material and grasping all the points that the author was trying to make. If you demonstrate that you read and understood the material through the class discussions, then there is no reason why you won’t be getting an A.”

Hearing this made me feel uncomfortable at first, but as the classes went on, I felt that the learning experience in that class was much more efficient than any other I have ever taken.

Since we needed to know what we were talking about in the discussions, I actually did the readings and paid attention to what the author was saying and trying to say.

I did not need sparknotes nor did I want to use it. There was no pressure of having to study for a reading quiz or anything of the sort.

She pushed us to formulate our own thoughts and opinions, to keep an open mind on others’ perspectives, and to always be respectful even when we did not agree with someone else’s theories.

This country needs more classes like that one. It needs more classes that pushes away from trying to grade a student and focuses more on creating a better student; one who can read critically and formulate educated thoughts and opinions; one who can actively participate in a discussion while being respectful to those around them.

Any student can read off of a powerpoint presentation, memorize the information, and regurgitate it back on a piece of paper; but not every student can read an article, analyze it, understand the implications, then critically break it down into their own thoughts and ideas.