My Tests are So Hard

Everywhere I’ve taught there have been teachers who brag about how hard their tests are. It’s always a central part of their identity as a teacher, of how they see themselves, and how they want to be seen. They proudly consider themselves more rigorous than their colleagues.

But nothing could be easier than making a test hard. You can just put more questions on it than can be reasonably handled in the allotted time. Or put problems on that haven’t been emphasized in class or practiced enough. Or problems that test edge cases and not core ideas. Or problems from the next unit. Or problems you simply haven’t prepared all students to handle.

I’ve seen teachers do all these things. It’s not rigorous. It’s lazy. You know what’s truly difficult? Writing a test that is fair, representative of core ideas, and appropriately challenging.