Assessing Students’ Minds: Developing Critical Thinking or Fitting into Procrustean Bed

Standardized tests have been applied as student knowledge assessment in many countries, including Azerbaijan. However, studies have shown that standardized tests are not an effective way of measuring students' knowledge because they limit students' creativity and prevent instructors from applying individual teaching methods due to the pressure of passing the tests. The tests do not consider students with different learning abilities and treat them equally, which may not favor some students. Also, teachers are pressured to ensure their students pass the tests, leading to an excessive focus on the topics likely to be set rather than the whole curriculum. The study recommends implementing different assessment methods with no ranking to ensure that students do not memorize for passing tests, eliminate competition, and promote equality in the education sector. The assessment methods should allow students to debate, compare and analyze ideas through critical thinking, inquiring, and understanding for applying the learned knowledge into real life. Thus, the importance of an inquiry-based curriculum and assessment is stressed.