Negative Effects Of Standardized Testing In Schools

Students are overwhelmed with school, work, extra-curricular activities, family, etc. Perhaps standardized tests are a major contributor to students’ stress. A standardized test is any test scored in a consistent manner and requires test-takers to answer identical questions. Among the most common include the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT). According to the article “Standardized Testing Has Negatively Impacted Public Schools” from Opposing Viewpoints in Context, the beginnings of standardized tests occurred during World War I when the American Psychological Association developed a “ground-administered test” to eliminate inefficient recruits (Solley 3). Today, standardized tests are necessary for college admission. Just last month, in March of 2016, College Board, the non-profit organization responsible for administering the SAT, altered the format of the test. It is now formatted more similar to the ACT and includes an optional essay reducing the score from 2400 to 1600. Many advocates argue standardized tests accurately measure academic intelligence and hold teachers and schools accountable. In today’s society, standardized tests have become the norm, and unfortunately, people overlook their negative effects despite research substantiating arguments about their disadvantages. Standardized tests are disadvantageous because they hinder education and contain bias.

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.

Standardized testing has become a controversial topic in recent years, parents, students, teachers, principals and almost anyone who has a relationship with education is affected by this topic. People are either for or against standardized testing, some believe it is the only fair way to compare students others believe that the tests are too greatly stressed in school and are a nuisance to education. Standardized tests are stressed greatly, students learn testing material all year not focusing on anything else deemed unimportant by the test makers. Every student has the same amount of time and question on tests; they also are tested on the same subjects which the test makers believe are most important for children to learn. Standardized tests are used for many things such as ranking students on a national basis and government funding for schools.

Jouriles, Greg. “Here’s why we don’t need standardized testing.” Education Week 33.36(2014). 36,40. Web. 22 February 2015.

“According to a review of testing research that has been conducted over the past century, over 90% of students have found that standardized tests have a positive effect on their achievement. Students feel better about their ability to comprehend and know subject materials that are presented on a standardized test. Even if a perfect score isn’t achieved, knowing where a student stands helps them be able to address learning deficits.”(12 Advantages and Disadvantages of Standardized Testing). This shows when students are pushed to their limits and they have been working hard in a certain subject they are prepared for test . Teachers in this situation are put to a test also (“Good teachers understand that test preparation drills and specific core instructions to “teach to a test “) . Teachers are put to the test by whether or not they can push students to their best ability to pass the exam. Students and teachers are given the same amount time to teach a specific subject and get judged off of it . This goes back to say all of the stress put on students and teachers is unacceptable because students and teachers should not be judged off of a test

Standardized testing adds a huge amount of stress on the teachers. Educators should not be constantly worried about losing their job. Columbia University’s article, Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing, mentions that,

Standardized testing effects teachers’ salaries and may even cost them their job. If a teacher has a classroom of very well test takers and their test scores are higher, than the teacher could get a raise and have a better chance of keeping their job. Although if a teacher has a classroom full of not so good test takers than the standardized test could harm that teacher’s salary and job. Also, standardized test can have a resounding impact on a student's future. If a student takes the SAT or the ACT and does poorly on the test after several attempts, then their chances of getting into college, despite having an outstanding academic standing in high school, are slim.

In order to graduate in 2018 and beyond, a high school student is required to take seven standardized tests, achieving a cumulative score of 18, earning a minimum of four points in math, four points in English and six points across science and social studies (Ohio Department of Education). Students, in many schools, can spend weeks, and sometimes even months preparing to take these assessments. Teachers take time out of their lesson plans to help their students by teaching to the test. Once it is time to actually begin the assessments, students will spend weeks staring at computer screens, answering question after question, and then sit around doing nothing for at least half an hour because of the required amount of time everyone has to take the test for. Once the tests are over, students go back to their lives, forgetting about them until they get the scores in the mail, or when they ultimately have to take more assessments the following year. Standardized testing has a negative impact on the students, and this poor evaluation of a student’s growth needs to be changed.

1.7 billion dollars are spent on standardized tests each year, according to Pearson, by Steve Ferrara, a Ph.D. Research Scientist. All students in grades 3-8 are required to take state standardized tests. It does not even affect students’ grade, it just measures students’ intelligence, unreliably. One test taken in 10 hours determines how smart a student is as well as influence in getting into college. Standardized tests should not be taken anymore because these test are too expensive, too time-consuming, and cause unnecessary stress for students.

Standardized testing creates a lot of stress on students and educators alike. Because of how much stress is put on them to prepare students for these tests, many excellent teachers quit their jobs everyday. In fact, in April, new federal data stated that 17 percent of new public school teachers leave their profession after four years due to stress and other reasons. Some teachers fail to teach students skills that go beyond the tests because they’re so pressured to get their students ready for these exams. This amount of stress can lead to feelings of negativity towards school and learning in general as well as cause negative health issues. Standardized tests places a large amount of stress on both teachers and students.

Standardized Testing has many cons compared to pros. The biggest con of all is the stress it puts on students and teachers alike. The stress it puts on teachers is that sometimes teacher’s teach according to the test because they want to

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

Standardized tests do not asses skills when their questions are generalized for an entire population. Most of the time, the tests are not in conjunction with classroom skills and behavior. These tests asses for general knowledge and understanding of students rather that their actual abilities. Since the questions are general in nature, it becomes very difficult for teachers to know how to improve the students understanding of a particular subject based on just general information. This leads to teachers “teaching to test” rather than educating students in a proper way based on the real needs of the classroom. Another reason these tests do more bad than good is the fact that teachers actually have a test booklet instructing them on what to do if a student vomits during a test. Students study so hard for these tests and simply cannot handle the pressure. So in the end, their final scores reflect not their abilities, but the influences of their surrounding factors instead.

A final perspective is through those that are opting their kids out from testing. “As standardized testing increases in public schools, so do concerns about its consequences. In a recent national poll, 60 percent of parents agreed there was too much emphasis on standardized testing in schools. And in cities across the country, those concerns are turning into a live political issue. Some are calling it a movement — the opt-out movement.” (Sanchez). Parents react to standardize testing due to the experiences of their child(ren) and the schools their child(ren) attend. It affects a parent as much as it does to their child(ren) because naturally they worry about them. But parents’ do get a report card every six weeks, and can follow their progress

Growing up as a kid I took many timed standardized tests: Such as, the infamous MEAP, Aspire and ACT tests. These test are used to measure the students’ progress through hours of testing over the course of a few days. Although, the test are a good indicator of how well we are learning there are some negative cogitation with standardized testing. On average a student’s takes a total 112 mandated standardized tests in their school career (Layton, 2015). This number is significant in the fact that this is over the course of just 12 years. Furthermore, “research has demonstrated that some of the adverse effects of high-stakes testing on students include illness, anxiety, and heightened levels of stress.” (Colwell, 2013)These test should be held