Schools, like all institutions, evolved in response to historical circumstances. 

And even more specifically, the circumstances that multiple choice tests arose from were:

• a 1.3 million increase in the number of students attending secondary school
• two years of high school became compulsory for everyone, not just those college bound
• WWI created a shortage of teachers

Fredrick J Kelly was a professor that invented multiple choice tests and later in his career, as president of the University of Idaho, acknowledged their limitations.

“College is a place to learn how to educate oneself rather than a place in which to be educated.”

– Fredrick J Kelly

Standardized tests do create a common frame of reference for academic achievement. However, test that are exclusively multiple choice present a limited perspective on a student’s understanding.

During modern day, we continue to use methods designs for circumstances that have long been outdated.

Given our current circumstances, what are new advancements we need to make based on our circumstances?

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash.