Students report that tests dominate assessment, carry too much weight, and create stress, while extended performance-based assessments offer better opportunities to learn and showcase learning¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · qualitative r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Students overwhelmingly feel tests carry too much weight and create stress and anxiety, and perceive tests as unfair when tested content does not align with lessons and homework. → Viki M. Young 2026 q2 i? Students report they learn better and more consistently through extended performance tasks such as projects, presentations, and essays, which require skills like planning and collaboration. → Viki M. Young 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Viki M. Young 2026¶

Viki M. Young, Ph.D., Mai Chou Vang, Zareen Kasad, Isabelle Acosta, and Alicia Frausto with Cassie Graves. (2026). Reimagining High School: Student Experiences Today, Hopes for Tomorrow. Digital Promise, Center for Learner Pathway Innovations. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/22bd5fad-ec7b-4ec7-a86f-0bed0800ba30 doi:10.51388/20.500.12265/286

q2 · i? · qualitative · r2

Focus-group findings on Assessment Practices. One student noted homework and test mismatch: "when it comes to the test, it's something significantly harder and something that we've just never practiced before."

"Students recognize that tests are an unavoidable aspect of their education, but they overwhelmingly feel that tests carry too much weight and create stress and anxiety."

Viki M. Young 2026 (2)¶

Viki M. Young, Ph.D., Mai Chou Vang, Zareen Kasad, Isabelle Acosta, and Alicia Frausto with Cassie Graves. (2026). Reimagining High School: Student Experiences Today, Hopes for Tomorrow. Digital Promise, Center for Learner Pathway Innovations. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/22bd5fad-ec7b-4ec7-a86f-0bed0800ba30

q2 · i? · qualitative · r2

Same assessment findings section: students advocate diverse assessment options including projects, presentations, and essays; a 12th-grader described a sociology course with two research papers and a group presentation instead of an exam, where "so many more people were interactive and actually focusing on the class."

"Students report they learn better and more consistently through such extended performance tasks, which give more time to prepare and engage deeply with the content."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Affect Regulation — outcome: instruction changes it
• Academic Anxiety — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Students taking online and proctored online exams report higher test anxiety than students taking on-campus exams and non-proctored online exams — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• In CPS ninth-grade math sections using mastery-based or weekly grading, those categories determined nearly all of the final grade; otherwise assessments carried the highest weight, with a median of 60 percent exceeding the CPS/CTU 50 percent recommendation — related
• Ninth-grade math teachers on average weighted assessments most heavily (57%), assignments next (36%), and behavior little (7%) — related
• Most teachers believe their REACH evaluation relies too heavily on student growth and question the fairness of the growth assessments — related
• Case-study states use performance-based assessments to provide more opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery of skills and content — related
• In a course that had removed examinations, most student groups designing a fair grading policy reinvented proctored or handwritten assessment — related