As young students strive to achieve their goals, they are often faced with challenges that come in the form of school competitions and assessments. These challenges are designed to help students develop their skills, talents, and abilities. In fact, school competitions and assessments can empower students to reach their full potential and set them on the path to success.
In this blog article, we will discuss how school competitions and assessments can impact a student’s growth and how they can provide a valuable measurement of a student’s academic progress.
Encouraging Healthy Competition
School competitions like debates, spelling bees, and speech contests, encourage healthy competition among students. Competitions create an environment where students are motivated to give their best performance.
This competition helps students improve their critical thinking and promote teamwork. In the long run, students become confident, have higher self-esteem, and value the importance of cooperation. Furthermore, many students find it thrilling to compete against others which sets them on a path to constantly improve their performance.
Identifying Students’ Strengths and Weaknesses
Assessments are a vital tool for educators to evaluate their students’ understanding of curricula and gauge the progress they make. Through assessments, educators can identify and prioritise areas of strength and weakness in each student, allowing them to be better supported and challenged. Meanwhile, competitions provide a further opportunity to assess students’ abilities in comparison with others while providing extra motivation to excel.
Understanding areas of strengths and weaknesses helps students and teachers work together to create a personalised learning plan that meets the student’s needs. It is beneficial to put students in environments that challenge their intellect and engage their passions.
Building Resilience and Mental Toughness
School competitions are not always won on the first try. When students fail in competitions, it can be disheartening. However, competitions help students build resilience and mental toughness, which are essential life skills.
Failure can be an opportunity for students to recognise a need to work harder and smarter. Competing against others and recognising how hard their opponents work and recognising that effort goes into everything creates a safe and supportive culture that fosters growth and development.
Developing Goal-Setting Skills
One of the most significant impacts of school competitions and assessments is that it inspires students to set goals. Once students understand the feeling of accomplishment, they are more likely to develop a level of focus and determination.
When students set goals, they take control of their academic progress and chart a course for their future. Achieving goals fosters self-confidence and self-discipline, which are skills necessary to be successful in life.
Providing a Measurement of Academic Progress
Assessments provide an objective measure of academic progress by providing evidence-based insight into how well students understand the material they are learning. Assessments can be used to determine academic achievement, evaluate overall performance, and identify areas where additional instruction may be needed.
Some examples of such assessments are the ICAS assessments. These assessments involve a set of tests designed to assess students’ abilities in a variety of subject areas such as English, Maths and Science. By taking these exams, students can receive an accurate picture of their academic progress and achievements over time.
In Summary
School competitions and assessments can be excellent ways to help students reach their goals. By promoting healthy competition, identifying strengths and weaknesses, building resilience, fostering goal setting, and providing a measurement of academic progress, students can develop into confident, successful individuals.
