When people think of the education system, most can say that there are some problems, though they might not be able to pinpoint what needs to change first. If you ask most teachers, they will say that the first thing that needs to be changed in the schooling system to help the students more is the standardized testing. They will say that while it can be helpful it has a lot of faults and needs to be updated or changed to help its students. Standardized testing has often been a topic for discussion, between parents and people in the schooling system. It seems that a lot of people either hate standardized testing for not giving every child a chance to succeed, or love it for being a fair way to test whether a child knows what they need to know at their age. There have been many articles, books, and documentary’s debating on whether or not standardized testing is doing more harm then good. There was a comic made that shows the brutality and bluntness of what standardized testing is really like. Standardized Testing causes too much stress by putting unfair expectations on teens and doesn’t give every single student the chance to succeed.
Each year high school students from around the country take the SAT or ACT. The ACT and SAT are both standardized test used by colleges to determine the knowledge of a student and predict what their performance will be in their first year of college. An immense amount of pressure is put on student to receive certain scores in order to obtain scholarships and admission into college. Even just one point on a student’s score can determine if they will be accepted into their dream college. However, the results from standardized tests, such as the ACT and SAT, are often inaccurate. Because of this one’s knowledge and academic ability are misrepresented, and they are denied certain opportunities. Standardized tests such as the ACT and the SAT
Michelle Obama once said, “If my future were determined by my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn’t be here. I guarantee you that.” Standardized testing is, “any form of test that requires all test takers to answer the same questions, in the same way, and that is scored in a “standard” or consistent manner” (edglossary.org, Standardized Test). Standardized testing is used in most schools and is used to determine the futures of many student’s educations. These tests usually have sets of multiple choice, or true or false questions that are to be answered within a limited amount of time. Many people think that this is the only way to accurately measure a student’s individual intelligence. Even though almost all schools make students
Schools all over the nation have introduced standardized testing as a way to evaluate what the students have learned over the course of the school year. Exams can be administered online or on paper, depending on the subject. Test can be taken at different points of the school year; results can be used as a way to determine what areas are weaker than others. Most results are viewed by the school board, administrators, and teachers. In some schools students take one end of the year test with different subjects, other just takes one test. These tests can be graded by groups of people are computers. Standardized testing has become a part of America’s educational system and many don’t see the benefit of the test at all.
Students spend a lot of time stressing over standardized testing when they could be focusing their energy on more important academic and social activities that could benefit them in the future. Standardized testing are stressful for students for one that it is timed, students often times can not focus knowing that they have a certain amount of times to take this very important test. And if they start stressing out from not having enough time left then they are gonna start writing or bubbling in random answers and then that can cause them to do worst. Teachers are being told to “teach the test”,the teachers don't want to teach us the same basic things every year, but if they don't then students will be unsuccessful when it comes time to taking the exams. Which can lead to consequences ad problems for both the student and the teacher. Some of those consequences may include students being held back, teachers getting in trouble or possibly loosing their jobs because they have failed to meet the standards set and what people think students should learn and what type of material the teachers should teach.” Brain research suggests that too much stress is psychologically and physically harmful. And when stress becomes overwhelming, the brain shifts into a “fight or flight” response, where it is impossible to engage in the higher-order thinking processes that are necessary to respond correctly to the standardized test
The consequences of the SAT have been seen as physically and mentally deteriorating for students. However, not only does the stress affect the students preparing for the SAT, but it also affects the instructors who are required to teach the material. Many students are being “forced into their respective testing rooms for up to three hours per day, slaving away on exams that most of us have struggled through (Ayers).” Likewise, “due to the pressures faced by administration, teachers [are] essentially [forced to] teach students how to approach and solve problems expected on standardized exams (Kokoszka).” Furthermore, according to Thomas Kellaghan et al, “testing pressures teachers into teaching for the test and thus leads to a narrowing of the
Do you think standardized testing is harmful or helpful? A lot of people are really stressing out over standardized testing, including me. I think that standardized testing is harmful for kids. A lot of other people think that it is helpful though, For example teachers, and administrators, and other people think it is helping our students. Standardized testing is harmful but some people think it is helpful, like me.
Standardized tests are a positive way to look at student growth and if students are reaching national benchmarks. Many standardized tests are a useful tool when deciding what college to attend, for example, the MCAT is a medical standardized that is required for all admittees into medical school. Around the country, many children are able to conform to teacher-made tests and how to navigate through them, although with standardized tests, they are raw and able to show if a student is really struggling in a specific area. Standardized tests are useful in schools across the country because they help enforce growth and how students are meeting benchmarks, while making it an equal playing field for all students.
Imagine if you or a friend had a talent for art, music, or foreign languages, but the school you attend cut back on the time spent focusing on these multiple subjects and decided to focus on more “important” subjects. Standardized test scores show the academic standing of an individual student and are used to compare that student to others across the U.S. This can create an immense amount of pressure on students to do well. Standardized tests focus on the core subjects of math and reading, with a smaller emphasis on science and writing. If the tests only focus on four main subjects than how can they measure other important traits or skills? We all have so many talents beyond the core subjects that do not show up on a test. Standardized tests
Tenth grade standardized testing in Pennsylvania is so unnecessary that makes a student complete in order to view their progress. This testing technique produces unpredictable results that allows one to review and come across their own judgment when accessing these tests. High school teachers sometimes tell students how their job depends on the results of the test. High school administrators tell the students that if they do not pass these tests, then they can not graduate on time. They make it seem like these tests are very important and make it a mindset to students that they need to try to conquer these tests just to meet the necessary graduation requirements. The shadows of the tenth grade Pennsylvania standardized testing needs to be overlooked
All around the country, students, teachers and parents are preparing. Students are staying up past midnight for hours of fact drilling and studying. Teachers are giving extra homehork and cramming and extra information that may be needed. Parents are trying to help their children study in hopes they will pass, but they often only make it worse as they add to the ever increasing stress load of the impending doom of standardized testing. Standardized Testing is not as harmless as it seems. It often affects students on a mental level, making them extremely nervous, then breaking them down on a mental level. It also hurts the teachers in many ways, including temptation to cheat. Standardized testing is at a new high in America and is said to
Believe it or not, standardized test are not meant to torture you. Physicians, lawyers, real-estate brokers, doctors, and pilots all take high-stakes standardized tests to ensure they have the necessary intelligence for their careers. Also, Standardized tests hold teachers and schools accountable for actually teaching the students and if they teach them well. It also gives the teachers a guide on what to teach the students. The results that are sent home give the parent a good idea of how well their child is doing in class and on tests.
Standardized testing, what is considered to be a fair and balanced way of evaluating a student’s academic progress, is an incredibly controversial topic. The most well known standardized tests are the PSAT, ACT, SAT, and SAT II. Each of these standardized tests share a similar protocol: all students are to have the same set of questions and are to be scored in a “standard” manner (the usage of a computerized system). The makers and educators of the standardized tests believe that these tests are an effective method in minimizing the amount of biased grading by teachers, and avoid the possibility of human error in the grading of the tests. Although standardized testing may have their advantages, the
With the incredible way society has been changing over the decades, it is surprised to see the “standard” of standardized testing not change as much as people thought it would. It is sad to say, but the standard of these tests is so loose and all over the place, every college takes the SAT into consideration in an entirely different way than each other. I do not wish, however, for the standard to disappear completely. Getting into college should require some level of a standard. There should be a reward for people who do well in high school and testing. People just do not know how well they should do. The standard is no longer a straight line, but a zigzag line, going up for the standards of some schools and going down for others.
Who pays for the standardize tests that just repeatedly test students over the same things? Is it the tax payers, schools, local, state, or are these tests government funded? Here are the exact words from an article from the eduFocus, “According to a study by Brown Center on Education Policy, a sufficient education isn’t the only thing that standardized tests are costing students, school districts, and tax payers. The study finds that 44 states spend upwards of a collective $1.7 billion on standardized testing each year of grades K through 12. The state of Pennsylvania alone spent over $58M on standardized testing, roughly $33 per student (assuming all students are tested every year).” (Strauss). Where else could that money go? It could make