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Persuasive Essay On Standardized Testing

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Albert Einstein once said “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Imagine a classroom packed with the small, hard desks that reek of high school. Imagine a line of students entering, each one emptying his pockets, showing his school ID, and grabbing a number two Dixon pencil before sitting down with sweaty palms and a racing heart. One student’s dog may have just passed. One student may be suffering from a bad case of strep throat. But all students are there for the same reason: To take the SAT. There are two tests by which colleges in the United States assess the likelihood of success in college, and consequently by which those colleges determine acceptance. The SAT (Standard Aptitude Testing), and/or the ACT (American College Testing) are mandatory in many states, are mandatory for college entrance in even more states, and are important enough to the remaining states that college entrance becomes far more difficult without test scores. Whether it is the SAT or the ACT, a single standardized test can set the path for which a student’s future is headed. Is it fair to put this much pressure on a single test? More importantly, is it an accurate measure of college success? Research is showing more and more that no, it is not an accurate measure of college success. Therefore, the United States should do away with standardized testing as a college entrance consideration.

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