Watch The Test and the Art of Thinking

The Test and the Art of Thinking is a documentary film released in 2018, directed and produced by Michael Arlen Davis. The documentary explores the role of standardized testing in contemporary American education and its potential impacts on students and their critical thinking abilities. With interviews featuring leading educators, psychologists, parents, and policymakers, the film investigates the broader implications of this increasingly high-stakes testing culture.

At the heart of the documentary is the story of St. Ann's School in Brooklyn, New York, which made national headlines for their decision to opt out of state-mandated testing. Through interviews with St. Ann's teachers, administrators, and students, the documentary paints a vivid picture of how standardized testing can limit students' creativity, critical thinking, and intellectual curiosity. Students are no longer being prepared to think critically, solve complex problems, or receive a well-rounded education that is the goal of schools worldwide.

The film draws upon the perspectives of both those who support standardized testing as an effective tool for measuring educational performance and those who argue that it does more harm than good. Interviews with educational experts such as Diane Ravitch, Jonathan Kozol, and Yong Zhao offer a thorough analysis of the effects of standardized testing on American education.

The documentary takes a particular focus on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), which has come under intense scrutiny in recent years as some argue that a single standardized test should not be used to determine whether a student can receive an elite education experience. The SAT is portrayed as a game that can be mastered, but mastering it does not necessarily equate with gaining the necessary skills to succeed in college and life beyond it.

Throughout the documentary, different viewpoints are presented on the moral, political, and economic implications of standardized testing. Test-preparation companies, such as Kaplan and the Princeton Review, are portrayed as part of a profit-driven industry profiting off of standardized testing, rather than solutions to the problems they create.

As the documentary unfolds, viewers see how standardized tests are becoming a sort of industrial benchmark, rather than looking at the unique characteristics of each student. This has created an educational system that rewards memorization and test-taking strategies over critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

The Test and the Art of Thinking is a thought-provoking documentary that raises many important questions for educators and policymakers to consider. It makes the case that education is about nurturing individual interests, creativity, and critical thinking abilities, and that standardized tests cannot capture these qualities.

In conclusion, The Test and the Art of Thinking is a must-watch for anyone interested in the state of education in America. The film prompts viewers to consider whether standardized testing is advancing or hindering American education and to imagine alternative methods of assessment that better capture students' unique talents and abilities. If you are interested in education, politics, and the future of our society, this is a must-watch documentary.

The Test and the Art of Thinking is a 2018 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 25 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.2 and a MetaScore of 68.