Arguments Against Standardized Testing

“…only twenty-two percent of those surveyed said increased testing had helped the performance of their local schools compared with twenty-eight in 2007” (“Public Skeptical of Standardized Testing.”). Furthermore the poll indicated an eleven percent increase, compared to last year, towards the favor of discontinuing the usage of students’ test results for teacher evaluations. William Bushaw, executive director of PDK International and co-director of PDK/Gallup Poll also stated, “Americans’ mistrust of standardized tests and their lack of confidence and understanding around new education standards is one the most surprising developments we’ve found in years” (“Public Skeptical of Standardized Testing.”). All in all, not only are these tests a concern for students, who are forced to sit through them, hoping to get a decent enough score to place into a class, receive their diploma, or even get accepted to the college of their dreams, but they are a concern for parents as well, who only want the best for their children and to see them succeed.

Standardized testing has become a multi-million dollar business that has shown no substantial progress on the public school system across the nation. Our students and schools are being robbed of expressing creativity and critical thinking skills while major corporations are gaining more and more financial stability. Since the implementation of the harsh testing guidelines, it has forced

“There is something deeply hypocritical in a society that holds an inner-city child only eight years old "accountable" for her performance on a high-stakes standardized exam but does not hold the high officials of our government accountable for robbing her of what they gave their own kids six or seven years before,” quote Jonathan Kozol. As this quote apptly states many children are often robbed of simple childhood pleasures by standardized testing. These strenuous tests should be cut back to the absolute minimum. Standardized tests should not be required because they provide unnecessary stress, are often inaccurate because of computer and human error, and some students, particularly minorities, are at a clear disadvantage.

Many people in the United States are concerned with the role that standardized testing has on education. Most of them have very strong views on this subject and as it usually happens with large-scale issues these views are very diverse and often opposite. Some claim that standardized testing is the best way to determine student’s skills and qualities because they are equally designed for everyone and not biased. Others, on the other hand, argue the fairness of these tests. They believe that test scores do not represent student’s knowledge. What is certain, in my opinion, is that this subject needs more attention followed by actions that will actually make difference in the education system.

Standardized testing has been practiced in schools across America since the mid-1800’s. Today, they are used to assess where a student is placed in their educational career. Standardized tests commonly test students in the subjects of math, reading, writing, and science. Colleges also partially base their admissions on standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT. According to the Pew Center on the States, annual state spending on standardized tests rose from $423 million to almost $1.1 billion in 2008. (standardizedtests.procon.org) With states spending this much money on these tests, many question how well they actually work. Students are essentially being judged on what they know on the spot, and to many that determines

Throughout history, Americans excel in pronounced innovations for society. An important part of American culture comes from its education system. Large sums of American citizens attend public schools in order to prepare themselves for their careers and to better our society. This being said, schools play a crucial element in developing citizens, and should be a top priority for our society. Initial standardized tests were introduced to assess student performance, over the past two decades, however the school system has become consumed with endless testing. Some of these tests dubbed as “Do or die tests”, due to the vast impact the success or failure of a single test on an individual student. The issue isn’t the test themselves, but how much

“Man, having to take these ridiculous standardized tests are just a huge waste of not only our time but the teacher’s time stressing about it, “stated my friend, Ian Jahn. This quote is what many students in this decade are agreeing with because of the lack of purpose the test holds. The No Child Left behind Act is the most current edition of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the major federal law authorized the federal spending on programs to support kindergarten to the end of high school. Elementary and Secondary Education Act is the largest source of federal spending on elementary and secondary education (Evans 1). Not only does this test cost too much this test also has way too much impact because

Many of those who are in favor of standardized testing will argue that standardized does the except opposite from what was stated above. Standardized testing is useful in determining which students are intelligent and hard-working, who will go off to top colleges and have a good career. One view is that the tests have gotten better over the years, making it more reliable and accurate in measuring intelligence. They show how much the student has grown and whether or not they are performing as an average student should of a certain grade level (Education Post). It is also argued that standardized tests demonstrate whether or not the schools and teachers are capable of teaching/ if the school programs are working (Campbell). While the tests have

Through the creation of the No Child Left Behind initiative in 2001, the government started requiring every state to set content standards for each grade level, as well as develop ways to assess student progress with meeting specified standards (Guide,22). The amount of standardized tests in schools have increased, but not everyone shares the belief that they are effective to students’ overall learning. Therefore, the purpose of this research, is to answer some of the toughest questions regarding standardized testing which include, is standardized testing an effective measurement of student ability? As well as, is standardized testing beneficial to students?

“Standardized testing has become the arbiter of social mobility, yet there is more regulation of the food we feed our pets than of the tests we give our kids ” (Schaeffer). Standardized tests have commonly been used to evaluate a student’s knowledge of a particular subject over the course of a class, or to compare students with one another. Therefore, standardized tests are being used to make serious decisions for students in 2014. Decisions such as grade promotion, high school graduation, and the college a student will or will not attend are among the life changing outcomes of a single standardized test. Schools have an obligation to prepare students for life, and with the power standardized tests have today, students are being cheated out of a proper, valuable education and are being forced to prepare and improve their test skills. Too much time, energy, and pressure is being spent on preparing students for standardized tests. So much more is being sacrificed, for instance schools are cutting back on or even eliminating electives, programs in the arts and recess for young children. The focus on standardized tests is putting children in the 21st century at risk for emotional, psychological, and intellectual harm.

Over 50 million students attended public schooling in 2006 (Fast Facts, n.d.), and per Kamenetz (2014), students in the 3rd grade to 8th grade take an average of 10 standardized assessments per year. The Education Testing System defines standardized testing as a test used “to provide fair, valid and reliable assessments that produce meaningful results. Standardized testing…can eliminate bias and prevent unfair advantages by testing the same or similar information under the same testing conditions” (Purpose of Standardized Tests, n.d.). With the introduction of No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, these assessments became mandatory. The debate arose about the use, effectiveness, and adverse effects of the tests. Proponents of standardized testing

In a telephone and online poll, Americans were asked two simple questions: One, if in their opinion, is there too much emphasis on standardized testing in the public schools in their community, not enough emphasis, or about the right amount? Sixty-four percent of the national total said there was too much emphasis, while seven percent said not enough emphasis and nineteen percent said about the right amount of emphasis. The other ten percent declared they did not know. Second, whether they favored or opposed some states requirement of a teacher evaluation including how well a teacher’s students perform on standardized tests. Fifty-five percent of the national total said they opposed, forty-three percent were in favor, and two percent said they did not know. “Many Americans also said they think students should be judged by multiple measures, including student work, written teacher observations and grades. And they overwhelmingly think teacher quality is the best way to improve education, followed by high academic standards and effective principals.” The No Child Left Behind Act, passed in 2002, mandated students to be tested in math and english and made it mandatory for the school's scores to be raised every year or face

A very current and ongoing important issue happening within the education system is standardized testing. A standardized test is any examination that's administered and scored in a calculated, standard manner. There are two major kinds of standardized tests: aptitude tests and achievement tests. Standardized aptitude tests predict how well students might perform in some subsequent educational setting. The most common examples are the SAT’s and the ACT’s. The SAT and the ACT attempt to estimate how well high school students will perform in college. But standardized test scores are what citizens and school board members rely on when they evaluate a school's effectiveness. Nationally, five such tests are in use: California Achievement Tests,

The way students learn around the country is being tailored to accommodate for the use of standardized tests and this started with President George W. Bush signing the law, No Child Left Behind. “No Child Left Behind Act which was initiated in 2002 ushered in the current era of high-stakes testing.” (NCLBA). “This law required states to administer math and reading tests every year to students from third to eighth grade and imposed increasingly harsh punishments on schools that failed to make “adequate yearly progress” on these tests.” (Mulholland). Without question, the use of standardized testing hurts the curriculum taught in school because students are now being taught to take a test versus capitalizing on their various unique genius and

If you spend any time in a public school, you will most definitely hear the words standardized testing and higher students’ scores. I believe that the push for schools to excel in high-stakes, standardized tests has caused schools to revert back to a form of New Taylorism. Due to the threat of public funding loss for failing scores, teachers are mainly focusing on curriculum directly related to the tests, even if that means leaving out certain topics, activities, or learning situations (Au, 2014). When going through certification, teachers are taught to teach to different students’ needs, but now we are giving these students the same standardized tests (Schifter & Carey, 2014). The New Taylorism of scientific, standardized testing focuses