Exaggeration Of Testing In Schools

According to James, standardized testing falsely defines education. James believes that standardized testing teaches children to practice and perform, rather than helping children develop a sense of curiosity. Standardized testing causes the school to become a drudgery for children. Teachers do not teach a subject, but instead, they pump them with test taking strategies. Students are not given the opportunity to use their imagination to be curious or to become engaged in a subject. Instead, they are learning that school is about mastering test taking skills.

High Stakes Testing has been overly integrated in the education systems. High-stakes testing are used to determine grade retention, school curriculum, and whether or not students will receive a high school diploma (Myers, 2015). Since the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, high stakes testing has become the norm and mandating that students must pass a standardized test before moving up in grade. As a special education director, the focus is to ensure the student’s accommodations are being followed. Accommodations help increase students’ academic performance. “Both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) call for students with disabilities to participate in the general education curriculum and in testing programs to the maximum extent possible for each student (Luke and Schwartz, 2010).” Throughout the years, high stakes testing is becoming more common than ever before. The reality is high stakes testing is one indicator in evaluating children with specific needs. This paper will discuss, the violation of the statutory language regarding assessment based on IDEA, the strategies and goals of a remediation, staff training, common Core and PARCC assessment, and funding for the remediation plan under IDEA.

In this age of high-stakes standardized testing the idea of creativity in the classroom has become less and less popular. Susan W. Cress and Daniel T. Holm present a compelling case study for keeping creativity in the classroom in “Creative Endeavors: Inspiring Creativity in a First Grade Classroom” published online April 1, 2015 in the Early Childhood Education Journal.

How I feel about standardized tests is that they get me really stressed out and they are scary. I believe i'm a a bad test taker because when someone hands me a test I forget everything I learned over the year and just freak out and stare at the paper. Yes, I believe ever since Kindergarten iv'e been like this. Fun fact is that when I was taking my STAR test in second grade I peed myself thinking I was going to fail but it was a practice STAR test, I was bullied ever since. I prepare for a standardized test by going over what I learned at midnight, that way I don't freak out and stress or sometimes eating makes me feel more confident about myself. I believe that when they give you gum before taking the test helps, because it distracts you of

Testing Our Schools was discussing the controversial topic of the newly introduced state testing that President Bush was trying to pass. President Bush was calling for higher standards in the academic world and wanted to hold schools and teachers accountable for the materials they are teaching students. This act would be known as “No Child Left Behind.” These standards where called “standards of learning” or SOLs. The documentary went to schools in Virginia to ask teacher how they felt about the standards that would be implanted in their schools. Many of the teachers seemed in favor because it gave them a guide on what to teach and how to teach the subjects. However, other teachers at schools in low income neighborhoods were opposed to the testing because students faced certain obstacles that would hinder true test score results. Many of America’s business sector was in favor of having this program in place because it made sure students were learning the information that would be needed later on in life. Although, these standardize test came with some glaring issues that made standards of learning a controversial topic among American society. Many people believed that the test were not an accurate indicator of a students true intelligence and the margin of error on these tests left many students being misclassified. The belief was, students were not actually learning the material but rather the main focus was to teach these students how to pass a test. These test sometimes

Standardized testing is a form of test that’s commonly used in today’s world, especially in here the United States. These tests check what your teacher taught students over the years they are in school, and the tests used constantly to assess our schools here in the United States. Aside from being used to evaluate the schools, colleges check the scores students receive to see if they would be willing to accept them. With how important these standardized tests have become, most states now require students to take them. The states have become dictatorial in determining what needs to be learned and what can be pushed over to the side to ensure that schools meet the benchmarks the states have made. These tests affect schools and education negatively and they completely eradicate the meaning of teaching.

Schools across the nation are eliminating programs that enhance creativity or even discussions about the current world events. They all have an identical curriculum and are set up to proceed one type of mind that processes information in one way. Thus, high-stakes testing pressures students to improve their performance. Lisa Collier states, “… So many Michigan students stayed home when their assessment tests were given last year that several high schools were threatened with loss of accreditation. In Illinois, 200 students expressed their scorn for the state's exam by showing up-and deliberately giving the wrong answers. Critics feel the students are being turned off to learning because they're being force-fed the dry facts and figures needed to excel on high-stakes tests…” The school is more about testing now, and we have turned away from creative teaching to teach a test and have unmotivated the students to achieve success.

General testing in today's school systems has a negative effect upon the actual learning of the students. Standardized testing narrows school curriculum, labels children as failures at a young age, and uses money that could possibly be used in a more productive manner.

On most normal mournings, students can be found showering and eating breakfast before school. This is the normal routine. However, students in Ohio who wake up in March or April find another item added to their routine, stress. These two months are testing months. Tests like the Air, SAT or ACT help determine if a student passes jr. high or high school or gets into college. On these mornings, students worry on their way to school. Most even worry when it comes time to take the test. Stress is just one of the unintended consequences of standardized tests. Even though Standardized tests were made to help keep the classroom teacher and schools accountable, the unintended consequences of them have been hurtful to teacher and students.

Standardized tests have become a recent controversial topic across the nation. Americans strive for a great education system, but fail to realize that testing is the main issue. It is believed that they are a simple way to evaluate students from all different areas. However, there are countless faults that cannot truly show students’ ability. Standardized tests in the United States do not accurately measure intelligence and should be modified to prevent issues in academics.

From first grade to college, every student faces the nightmare: a test. The groans, rolled-back eyes and anxiety are all symptoms of a test-stressed generation. However, high school students are impacted the most because colleges do not look at test scores comprehensively. They only look at the high scores and ignore the low scores. Ever since the College Board was created in 1899, colleges have used the Board’s number one test to assess a high school student’s abilities. The colleges are only concerned with their reputation, not about the quality of a student’s academic strength.

In Texas high schools, students are required to take at least five standardized tests and pass three in order to graduate. There is too much emphasis on how tests are used to “rate” a student progress, as well as intellectual ability, and their teachers ability to teach different learning styles to different personalities with different personal situations. Students who take Advanced Placement classes have to take an end of course exam in order to get college credit for the class taken, which adds a heavier workload and more stress. In addition, some students must also work in order to support themselves and their families, as well as some teachers must work another part-time job. The tests given do not consider all aspects of students and

Standardization in schools has become a large project. Standardized test are one of the things that schools are required to do. Students are trained to pass a standardized test for their school more than they are prepared for real life. Schools no longer teach anything new or anything that students will need, they only teach what’s on a test.

I would agree with high stakes testing being a major obstacle in education. With high-stakes testing present, schools are creating a completely different environment that many students do not want to go to. A lot of students may be really good students in the classroom, and may not be good test takers, which makes the situation even worse as more tests are being given to meet the state standards. By creating this kind of evironment at school, students attitudes towards learning are completely changing because we are focusing too much on scores and not on what is being gained through teaching in the classroom. No I am not saying that tests should not be given at schools, but I am saying that the amount of testing needs to decrease, which

I believe that one of the most pressing issues facing educators today would be high stakes testing. Many educators, as well as students, face test anxiety when it comes to testing. In order to combat this, educators can find assurance in the fact that they are teaching to the standards. The tests are constructed in such a way that aligns with grade level standards. Teachers can address test anxiety with students through incorporating technology with weekly tests and formatting those tests based on the standardized tests. Through this, students are familiar with the testing format and enter testing season with more confidence.