"Learning is not a grade. Get the focus off the grade. Focus on progress, on critical thinking, on creativity." ~Roman Nowak
Make no mistake about it--assessment testing is important! It’s a sound decision for Program Directors to use assessment testing to save time and money. Entrance exams can measure a person’s knowledge in certain areas and can provide very useful information. Educators can utilize the data gathered from assessment testing to infer several generic, yet invaluable, concepts.
Importance of Assessment
First, the intel can apprise a person’s current knowledge base about a subject/topic area. This can give a clue to one very important question. Is this potential pupil equipped to adequately learn and understand the material they are about to consume? The last thing any educator wants to do is set up a student for failure!
Second, by taking all the information gathered by an assessment, teachers can try to improve, or increase a student’s learning ability. Armed with assessment data, a pupil’s skillset can be enhanced via reactionary measures from the formed statistics. You can read EMS industry-specific examples further below in this article.
Third, the conception of assessment is essentially different than testing. But wait a minute. This author has been using “testing” and “assessment” similarly, as well as, in the same sentence! True. They can be swapped out; however, a big difference is that assessment must be interpreted. Unlike testing, which can be measured with a standardized process, assessment tries to decipher intangibles such as attitudes, principles, and views. While a test gives you numerical data, an assessment provides a diagnostic report.
How does Platinum Use Assessment Testing?
There are several specific assessment tests utilized in our testing solution, EMSTesting.com. Below are the categories and reasons for them.
EMT-P Math Assessment- 120 Questions
This exam is designed to evaluate a student’s cognitive abilities related to scientific mathematics and medical calculations before they start an EMS training program.
Paramedic Entry Assessment- 150 Questions
This assessment is a formal summative exam of your knowledge and is designed to evaluate a student’s ability to manage simulated patients given a problem. The questions are frequently scenario based and require you to read the questions carefully.
Reading Level Assessment- 1 Questions
Pupils create an essay on why they have selected this potential career path. This assessment helps determine why they selected this profession and identifies their reading level.
Student Motivation Assessment- 36 Questions
This assessment is designed to identify an individual’s motivation for entering the field and to create appropriate incentives for success. The questions are frequently scenario based and require you to answer with your first thought and/or rate it by a sliding scale.
Learning Style Assessment- 25 Questions
This assessment is designed to identify an individual’s learning style so that classroom lectures, hands-on practice, and other experiences can be tailored to your educational preferences.
Test Anxiety Assessment
This assessment is designed to identify individuals who may have potential challenges with Test Anxiety. The questions are frequently scenario based and require students to answer with their first thought and then rate it by a sliding scale.
*NEW*Professional Characteristic Assessment
The assessment is designed to evaluate the student on the professional characteristics identified by the National EMS Educator Curriculum.
How Much is Assessment Testing?
All our assessment tests are absolutely free with a student subscription to EMSTesting.com. Others in the EMS industry charge $20 (EMT) -$25 (Paramedic) dollars per student for assessment testing. That’s ridiculous! If a student does not have a subscription, instructors can purchase our assessment testing for their classrooms for only $5 per student! That is the price for all assessment tests at EMSTesting.com for all provider levels! We believe assessment testing is extremely important and should be a cost-effective resource for all!
Conclusion
If you do not utilize assessment testing in your program, then we highly recommend at least taking a look. If you would like to learn more about our assessment testing give us a shout anytime! We would be more than happy to walk you through it and even take a test yourself!
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