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Standardized Testing Benefits

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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 …show more content…

Schools across the country are offered different course rigors, allowing some students to be more prepared for tests such as the SAT and ACT. The SAT and ACT are standardized tests that high-school students are required to take to get into college. According to College Board, a private nonprofit corporation that owns the SAT, the test is designed to, “measure the essential ingredients for college and career readiness and success.” The ACT test is designed to measure college and career readiness as well. College Board also recommends students take challenging courses in order to do well on the test. According to College Board an AP class “gives you the academic skills you need in college.” If students are able to take AP courses, they have a higher probability of performing better on these tests compared to students who have not taken AP courses (“The College Board”). An example of this unfair advantage is between Indian Hill High School and Cincinnati Public Schools. Indian Hill High School offers a total of 27 different AP courses to their students (“Academics”). At Cincinnati Public Schools, there are only 13 different AP courses offered to high school students (“AP-Blended”). Indian Hill High School offers 17 more AP classes compared to Cincinnati Public Schools. The number of AP course offered to students at Indian Hill provides an unfair advantage compared to Cincinnati Public, to do well on both the SAT and ACT and learn the academic skills needed to get into college (“Academics”). Both schools released their average composite ACT scores, and while Cincinnati Public Schools had an average composite score of 22 on the ACT (“AP-Blended”), Indian Hill’s ACT composite score was 26.9 (“Academics”). The students at Indian Hill High School did significantly better on the ACT than the students at Cincinnati Public Schools. If students across the country are

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