A Better Quote May Be.....

When I have students do poorly on a test I always contemplate the "why."  The thoughts that go through my head include both the student and myself: did they study, did they take notes, did I teach effectively, were my test questions clear. I have felt as responsible and sometimes more so when a student has bombed a test.  With a little more experience under my belt I have become more confident in myself and realize that if a student bombs a single test, I need to evaluate my assessment. If a student fails my class, then they have failed themselves, usually as a result of poor work ethic. While not all assessments are perfect, I think that most teachers, even with little training, do a fair job of assessing their students knowledge and that the greater challenge is not asking the wrong question but of asking a questions that is too simple to answer and involves little to no critical thinking. I'm not sure in what context Drucker offered his opinion, but in relation to student assessment, I think the better quote may be, "The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking questions that take no more than regurgitation to answer."