Pointless testing but the kids love it

I have written before about what I would regard as pointless testing, at my school. Being British we use a British developed Goal on Line test to determine levels for Maths and Science. 6 weeks out of my curriculum time each year I have to administer these tests, 2 weeks every term. Right now I'm administering the test for the 12 th time, so I get to know the questions. Believe it or not some of the questions have been in the test since I started, however I did notice 1 new question out of the batch of 36 today.  I have many reasons to state that its pointless....

Today we started testing, so maths will be closed on Friday, marked on line and the results returned to the teachers. Great student feedback for the teacher. Except today is the last day for writing reports. Tomorrow all reports have to be buddy checked. Next week the reports have to go to management for signing and printing. If a teacher were to notice something in a child's test, that correlated with class work or class observations there is no opportunity to make a note of it in the report. And as for the science results, due to the teachers on 10 June, with reports in the printery by the 11th. I rest my case. Why do the test if the results are not being used? They may be recorded in student records, but used, no chance. We break up 2 weeks later for the summer. August is a new academic year. Change the dates for testing...........however teachers began writing reports at the start of the term, so will the results matter and be used? I think not
Judith Aiken head of ERO once said, only assess and test what will help you and the child take the next learning steps. How much learning will be gained from these tests?

Other parts of the test that irritate me is that they really are a mouse exercise. Put all the heavy objects in a box, and the soft objects in the other box, both duly labelled. As a child drags a hammer towards the heavy box he goes over top of the soft box. If he lets the mouse go fractionally early the object has gone into which box? There is no way of knowing, you can't see the contents of the box, you can't retrieve any objects. or change them around.
Now the other astounding thing I discovered today when I announced we were doing a goal on line "quiz" the students were all ecstatic and cheered. They love them. I am yet to find out why.I have to be seen to be positive and love them too!!

Having bagged the test I do have to say that the test is read to the students and they hook in their head set and listen. Its self paced, so its not a reading test and there is plenty of time to finish in the period allocated.