Standardized Shakespeare
Tuesday, October 9th by scott malia1. The greatest play written by William Shakespeare is:
(A) Hamlet
(B) A Midsummer Night’s Dream
(C) Henry IV
(D) Measure for Measure
(E) None of the above
Confused? Imagine being a teenager and facing the same question. Believe it or not, it’s possible. A recent news item mentioned that questions about Shakespeare were being included on a standardized test and, unfortunately, the results have not been good. That the test is given England proves how far the standardized test craze is spreading. According to the test, most of these U.K. youngsters need to brush up their Shakespeare.
The news is saddening, but not necessarily for the reasons the creators of the test might believe. It would certainly be impressive if students here or abroad knew Shakespeare (or even just a few of his plays) inside and out. His plays have been and continue to be almost universally present in school curricula. While this is a good thing, it is important to point out that for most high school kids, this is some of the most challenging reading they will encounter. Furthermore, are standardized tests really the best way to gauge students’ understanding of the plays? Questions will most likely fall into a few key categories: quote recognition, plot questions, and thematic questions. The first two are certainly empirical but don’t necessarily assess understanding of the works. The third question type does, but also must assume one, universal interpretation which is completely against the point of studying great literature. In trying to fit Shakespeare into neat little boxes, I’m afraid this test is going to leave more than a few children behind.
