Standardized Testing : A Test That Alters The Decisions Made Pertaining The Future

After the No-Child-Left-Behind (NCLB) bill was introduced by the Bush administration in 2001, the use of standardized tests skyrocketed because all schools in the country were required to assess students using these tests to evaluate the student, teacher and school’s performance. A standardized test is any examination that is administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner (Popham 8). The use of these tests have not improved education in the United States because teachers teach to the test, which means that they only focus on what is going to be on the exam and do not spend time on other material; tests like the SAT which evaluate the student solely on the outcome of the test and upon the score the student is placed where “appropriate”; and that one assessment is not enough to evaluate students, teachers, principals

Parents, teachers, and students are all tired of standardized testing. It is the only thing that rushes to their minds when they think about school. Standardized tests are tests designed to have consistent questions, administration procedures,and scoring procedures that make it possible to compare the performance of an individual. Children in the U.S are tested the most in the world. They take too much time, they don't show true knowledge, and they force teachers to put more time into teaching to the tests and not for the real world.

Every year, millions of students take long standardized tests, but do they improve the education of American students? In 2000, the US ranked 18th in mathematics worldwide. By 2012, the US dropped to 27th, with similar results in the remaining subjects. After passing the “No Child Left Behind” Act of 2001, the lives of thousands were academically changed. NCLB’s Mission Statement reads: “Our mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.” Standardized testing is declining the education in America by placing financial burdens on schools, as well as reprioritizing school choices, unnecessary

Justin Baeder, the Director of The Principal Center (a group that teaches instructional teaching devices for educators) and education blogger states, “If the test is a measure of individual ability, and predicts that individual's likelihood of success in, say, a particular university, then yes, I think standardized test are fair to the extent that they are good predictors. But they often aren't, and over-relying on test scores can narrow the pool of eligible applicants and reduce its diversity for no good reason.”

But, a standardized test does not do either accurately. Studies conducted in the past decade have shown discrepancies in the evaluation of teachers. For example, in a September 2010 report made by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, they tested the same students, teachers, subjects, during the same time of year, but used two different tests. Over 17% of Houston teachers that were ranked at the top of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills reading tests were ranked among the lowest two categories on the Stanford Achievement Tests. Even with the top teachers, there are many different factors that contribute to a student’s performance on a standardized tests. And measuring a student’s achievement using tests given in only a small piece of the school year cannot give the whole picture of a student’s education. Also, out-of-school factors contribute greatly to a student’s performance, such as race, class, disabilities, and knowledge on the English language. In fact, researchers calculated that a teacher’s influence on student test scores ranges from 1% to 14%. Then, why are we still evaluating teachers using standardized tests? If standardized tests do not even do the job they were supposed to do, then it is not an effective way of improving the education of Americans

Imagine failing a test that alters the decisions made pertaining the future. Standardized tests are failing many schools that are serving disadvantaged children based on their knowledge on a test that is created in order to put upon higher standards for students. The No Child Left Behind Act is a law that had been signed by George W. Bush in pursuance to designate all public school students to perform standardized tests. The law had been signed in 2002 although, standardized testing had been popular and have been moving forward way before that time. Standardized testing has become very common in the United States. These tests had been set up in order to try to measure how much knowledge a student carries. Tests like STAR in California and

I t is well known that Standardized testing is not popular with students, but many teachers also do not agree with the method as well. Teachers see the testing as a burden and an end to creative and fun curriculum. Teachers teach all year for what will be on the test. Students are forced to learn by memorization quickly with so much knowledge being imposed on them at one time. Teachers have to teach so many core factors that they do not have hours to spend the wanted and needed lot of time on certain content. The article “It’s déjà vu all over again!” includes comments from educators on testing “The tests tend to measure factual memorization of names and dates, rather than important conceptual understandings and interpretations” (pg.199). Children can profess when and where The Battle of Gettysburg was, but could not express what the speech was about and the lasting impositions of the speech. They memorize a topic to pass a test. That is standardized testing. That is not learning.

Over time standardized testing has become more and more popular. Standardized tests are commonly used in schools today. Tests are a way of checking off, and creating requirements in high school. These tests are helpful in some way but are mostly hurtful in the education of students. Parents and teachers have begun questioning if the excessive amounts of testing are really necessary for their students. They take up class time and prohibit innovation. Standardized tests are said to be a way of determining intelligence but are not always successful or helpful in teaching students.

Throughout the United States, in our educational system, standardized test are used very commonly throughout grade school. They are issued to student as soon as they believe children are able to understand and comprehend the material the test question them on. A Standardized test is a form of test that requires all test takers to the answer the same questions, which there is only one exact correct answer. I have taken so many standardized test throughout my life that I can't possibly remember and recount how many were issued to me in grade school. I believe there are numerous flaws in how and why standardized test are formulated and issued to students that obscure a student's true potential. Some standardized test are made to be so

The purpose of standardized testing is to help guide the teachers teach students the basics of what they need to know in order to move ahead in school. These tests are standard for core classes in any grade but differ from state to state. For Virginia it’s SOLs (standards of learning) in Arizona it’s AIMS (Arizona’s instrument to measure standards), although the name differs the purpose it the same in all states. These tests are to measure how much the students have learned throughout the year. To help improve the results from these tests, the no child left behind act was created in 2001. The bill does this by making the states and schools more accountable for the student’s progression. It improves the academic achievements for

Standardized testing has been a large part of school systems across America; nearly every school has state and national required tests for all of the students. The results from these standardized tests are meant to be based on the curriculum the students should be learning in the classroom. Standardized testing became common when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or better known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), was passed in 2002. Ever since the act was passed, there have been two major viewpoints on it; some view standardized tests as an asset, while others do not.

In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was passed to improve the education system. Standardized testing is one of the results of President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act. States are required by law to test students every year from 3rd grade to 8th grade and once from 10th grade to 12th grade in at least reading and math. Here in Georgia, the test is the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT). Standardized testing is both good and bad for a student, the school, and the teachers. With all of its’ pros and cons, standardized testing should remain an important aspect of our school system.

When I was in grade school there was a large push for students to excel in standardized testing. In recent years I became more and more aware that these tests are not so much about us, as students, but about providing a basic assessment of our intelligence, as a community. This, to me, seems like the best example of “marinating yourself in the conventional wisdom” (Deresiewicz). The public school system has an appetite for traditional, and unadventurous learning. I found that most of my time in high school was spent on preparing for these tests, not encouraging out-of-the-box thinking. Teachers preached independence while rewarding conformity. However this is not how I believe a community should operate. However for the betterment of our society,

Standardized tests have become an educational phenomena throughout schools in the United States. The United States, schooling system relies on the administration of standardized tests to measure students academic performance and progress while they are obtaining a K-12 education. James Popham, former president of the American Educational Research Association defines standardized testing, as “any test that is administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard, predetermined manner”. The standardized testing system, is utilized as a guideline in not only assessing a student's comprehension of the subjects taught in the classroom, but also serves to evaluate how well teachers are able to teach their students. High stake exams have come to define

A very current and ongoing important issue happening within the education system is standardized testing. A standardized test is any examination that's administered and scored in a calculated, standard manner. There are two major kinds of standardized tests: aptitude tests and achievement tests. Standardized aptitude tests predict how well students might perform in some subsequent educational setting. The most common examples are the SAT’s and the ACT’s. The SAT and the ACT attempt to estimate how well high school students will perform in college. But standardized test scores are what citizens and school board members rely on when they evaluate a school's effectiveness. Nationally, five such tests are in use: California Achievement Tests,