Persuasive Essay On Standardized Testing For Students

There has been an SAT optional movement in which many liberal arts colleges in the US decided not to require SAT or ACT scores as they thought it had outlived its usefulness.

Throughout high school and college we will go through a vast amount of testing but why? Testing is used to show a person’s amount of knowledge on a particular subject. Usually it’s for one specific subject and not a majority of them, standardized tests administered in schools today include all testable subjects as in English, Math, Science, Writing, and Reading. However, before we can all take the next step and begin our college careers, we have to take one of two tests, the ACT or the SAT. These two exams demine the college you get into, the amount of scholarships you will receive, and even whether or not your will be accepted into said college, all determined by the score you receive.

It has become a problem and schools should really consider taking it out of admissions. It has been proven that SAT/ACT scores don’t predict a student’s success, so why not remove it. A solution to this problem would be to rely on the student’s high school GPA and maybe two other factors to go along with the application. A high school GPA is made up within four years and it determines how well the student handled state tests and other educational obstacles. Institutes should consider this a problem and propose a solution because a four-hour test should not override a four-year grade, as stated

The ACT and SAT were created to accurately measure the knowledge of our children and make sure they are prepared for college, yet often times it seems to have the opposite effect. Due to the tests, some students are deciding not to go to college just to avoid paying so much money when they do not think they can do well in college courses. Even if students do decide to go to college, they may avoid taking classes with large tests due to test phobia developed from the ACT or SAT (Paul 42). Seeing such low scores in certain subjects can lower a student’s confidence and willingness to take those classes in college. By not taking certain classes, a student is limiting what major they can complete which will lowering their career options (Paul 42). We can’t let this happen to our students! We can’t let one stupid test destroy the careers and futures of hundreds of teenagers. The long term effects of the trauma created by the ACT and SAT are detrimental to today’s students.

Imagine a test capable of making or breaking a student's chances of getting into his or her dream college. Imagine a test score that can be easily influenced, but only through thousands of dollars worth of coaching. Now imagine that same test but biased towards certain crowds of students while also being incapable of accurately predicting their futures. Is this the test you want for colleges to use in order to distinguish students? This is the SAT—famous for the unnecessary pressure it presents to students as well as the unfair disadvantages it presents to many others. Since these SAT scores are extremely artificial, SAT tests are not an accurate predictor for future success.

Not only does standardized testing limit students from attending the college of their dreams, it also puts a large amount of stress on students and teachers and the test do not test for necessary skills needed in the real world. With this current system, students are limited to what schools they can get into. By only allowing students with a certain score into a school, this makes it unequal to all students. This then does not allow students that have potential in classes at that college to truly be happy at the college they end up in. The test seems to determine an individual’s potential by their ability to retain information they learned in years past. Not every career will require in depth knowledge of algebraic formulas or scientific methods taught in school, therefore, to require students to test high on the ACT or SAT when the career they want to pursue may not require certain knowledge that is tested seems illogical. By making standardized tests less important in determining college admission, all students would have equal opportunity to attend the college they want.

If this is true and GPA and school activity involvement are more important, then why is the SAT even considered? Brandon Busteed, an executive director of Gallup Education, ran a study including 2,586 superintendents around his area. According to his results, “...Only six percent of superintendents strongly agree that SAT and ACT scores are the best predictors of college success” (Brandon Busteed).  This shows that even educators feel that the SAT lacks a true purpose. How can any college determine a student's study habits, work ethic, or community involvement through a number? Jennifer Finney Boylan, a professor at Colby College, states, “The only way to measure students’ potential is to look at the complex portrait of their lives; what their schools are like; how they’ve done in their courses; what they’ve chosen to study; what progress they’ve made over time; how they’ve reacted to adversity” (Hambrick & Chabris). Although other factors are not ignored, including involvement and high school GPA, there is still immense pressure to do well on the SATs. Busteed states, “We’re not just overinvesting in standardized testing, we’re actually testing standardization. That is to say, most standardized tests are designed to have students come up with the same answers. We’re teaching them how to be similar, not different” (2015). This shows the negative effects that the SAT has on

I one hundred percent agree with this, we should stop caring about standardized testing as that just adds more pressure to those that care much more than others about their future. I for one care enough to be successful in my life but I don’t want to have to depend on a great testing grade to judge my success. The SAT and ACT, in my opinion before this article, useless to me.

The SAT is a standardized test which over a million students take per year. This test supposedly was made to determine, approximately, how well freshmen in college will do. Although, studies have shown only twenty five percent of test takers scores actually match their grades (O'Shaughnessy). The SAT is unnecessary and unfair for students applying for college because it prevents diversity in schools and big businesses only care about the profit from the test.

Standardized tests decide who gets into college nowadays. Standardized tests have more emphasis now then do GPA, class rank, and the students achievements. If Colleges were to get rid of this requirement, many more students would apply. Colleges should not put a lot of stock in standardized testing because it does not evaluate true knowledge, the tests cannot predict college readiness, and students with test anxiety will not perform at their best.

Have you ever wondered why, throughout the course of your educational career, you have to take so many standardized tests and why they determine how smart you are or if you will make it in life? For most people the SATs and the ACTs are the most important and stressful tests that they will ever take. For most colleges these scores determine whether or not you get into their college or whether you are even considered for a spot at a college or university. Here are some facts regarding the SATs and the ACTs.

Advocating is a necessity that can help make people aware of the injustices with these tests and help recommend better and fairer evaluation tools. Advocating for the removal of college entrance exams also needs to be increased as well. Currently, there are over 800 colleges that are SAT/ACT optional. The research has shown that these schools still admit the same level of quality students and that their graduation rates have remained the same since they have dropped the SAT/ACT requirement. The statistics from these colleges need to be disseminated

There is also proof that students taking these test that come from low income families and a poor neighborhood are not as likely to do as well as student who has gone to a wealthier school. Ezekiel Dixon-Roma, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania has been studying this along with others (Webb). Taking the ACT and SATs are also expensive some students can only take it once due to the costs of these tests, Standardized testing also can cause a lot of stress on any student take the test and can cause anxiety that plays a big role in determining the factor of how well they do the test, not whether they know the material (Dr. John Poulsen 
and Kurtis Hewson). These test are a hard way to determine what the students have learned over there past 12 years of school (Dr. John Poulsen 
and Kurtis Hewson). Standardized testing is also used as fuel for political agendas, usually the center of these debates are standardized testing and the scores. These scores are often looked at if you do not do well you will not succeed (Wallace).

Supporters of the test may state it is a good base or “key” to use and gage a student when looking to gauge their academic skill level. Swing to the other side and it’s unsurprisingly easy to find the reasons to oppose the test. Reasons include that the test prevents some students from unlocking their full academic potential due to their lack of easily available resources. Lack of these resources could be due to financial situations or a person’s ethnic background. Studies show the SAT cannot predict a student’s performance in secondary school. These studies examine and exhibit to us (the viewer) that the SAT lacks in showing a student’s true qualities and work ethic. Segregating students based on a test prevents a student from possibly unlocking their full potential. Students judged by their SAT are not the only ones missing out on potential academic success, the future of America loses the chance to further educate the next generation of potential

Every year, hundreds of thousands of students across the nation are required to take many standardized tests. Which are used to determine student’s achievement, progress and growth. These tests supposedly say the outcome of how much knowledge a student has or has not learned. The stakes are high all because of a test score. Standardized tests may determine a pass or fail status for grade levels through K-12 or admission into colleges if you are taking an ACT or SAT standardized test. It is unfair and a very unreliable method to use to measure the performance of students. Standardized testing methods creates more harm than good and should be revised because many students, teachers, and schools suffer from this annually.