We have all used spell check at some point or another. In fact, it is something that is now built into many web browsers. So, it is very difficult in our day and age to ignore spell check as something important. In fact, it can be very frustrating, at times, when you get those squiggly red lines underneath the word you just wrote. Most especially when you know that it is spelled correctly, but for some reason it isn’t in the dictionary that is being used. There is some controversy with spell check, though.

Today, some school districts and teachers are allowing their students to use spell check on quizzes and tests. Though this, at first, may not seem like a big deal to some, to others it is an affront. When you look at what quizzes and tests this is being allowed on, it becomes an even bigger issue. Some feel that this could be acceptable in something like a history class, or a science test. Instead, though, this is being implemented in English classes.

Many people feel that this is just silly. Part of the point of an English class is to learn proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and more. If these students are allowed to use spelling and grammar checks, then it defeats the purpose of the class. It is said that many times, these students are able to use these tools on their papers and assignments, so it is only fair that they can use them on the test. This is faulty thinking though. A test and an assignment are completely different. The test is simply that – it is to test your knowledge. If a student is allowed to use tools like spell check and grammar checks, then all that is being tested is that they are able to use these tools.