Standardized Testing Cons

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.

Today's society holds, above all else, education as one of the most important elements of our nation. Countless hours are spent in Congress filling out government grants for education, new education reform bills, and every standardized test one could possibly imagine. However, with all this time being spent on the education of our nation's future, there is little that is actually being done to help students to achieve their maximum potential. Several key factors are limiting children and young adults across the map from excelling past anyones' wildest imagination. One of these is, as mentioned before, is standardized tests. Also, lack of emotional and mental outreach to students has caused, and will continue to cause, a flawed hole

Should one's college acceptance be based greatly on their standardized college admission test scores? Though these tests are a way of measuring an individual’s knowledge to then compare the student’s score to all of the other applicant’s scores, there are many downsides of making the submission of the SAT or ACT test scores a requirement when applying to colleges. This paper focuses on both the disadvantages and advantages of making standardized college admission test scores mandatory as well as the value and history behind these tests. While some may not want to recognize the problem behind making these tests mandatory, it is safe to say that it is not going to go away, especially with many colleges slowly jumping on the bandwagon and making the submission of standardized test scores optional.

Over the years, a debate has emerged arguing the fairness and the reliability of standardized tests. The outcome of this dispute not only directly impacts students, but also teachers and administrators, many whose jobs are placed on the line when the test scores come back. There are many exceptional points for both why the tests should be completely eradicated and also for why the tests should stay right where they are. A main argument for the tests is that they place students that may not have similar opportunities on a level playing field. The ACT, SAT, and other akin tests are the best way to test not only content knowledge, but also students’ ability to perform under pressure, a skill needed to succeed in college and the workforce.

Dr. Harry Gold from Oakland University once said, “No one wins awards for standard mediocrity or for “most like everyone else”; so why do American schools push for standardization when American society only rewards the unique or inventive?” If the goal is to build successful individuals, American schools have it all wrong. I agree with Gold and I feel that standardization is an inaccurate test of a person’s knowledge and ability.

As a measure of students’ academic performance, standardized tests have always played an important role in education. Hence, the public is interested in the debate as to whether standardized tests have a positive or negative effect. As a middle school student, I strongly oppose standardized tests because they have a lot of deficiencies explained below.

“Attaching high stakes to test results increases cheating and other efforts to boost scores without improving educational quality. This can be done by arranging for low-scoring students to be absent on test day or pushing them out of school.” ¹ Standardized testing is used in most schools, it is an easy way to make sure everyone has the same questions and grading system. It became very popular in 2001, when the “No Child Left Behind Act” was reauthorized, this requires third to eighth grade to be tested yearly in reading and math and once in high school. Some of these tests are now given on a computer and sent directly to the grading “center”, although you do not normally get answers back for several weeks to months. Most of the schools do

Thank you for your feedback. Like you explained, standardized tests can be a problem. A problem can become a controversy when there are two different edges or points of views of the same problem or situation. In my case I selected standardized tests as a controversy where this type of test can be beneficial for students, instructors, and institutions or can be a total disaster for students, instructors, and institutions. For example: Like I said in my post, standardized exams can help instructors and guide them about the most important topics to prepare students for these types of exams or can affect the students preparation because some instructors focus only on the important topics to prepare students for these tests; neglecting

Seven times a year, millions of students head to their designated test centers with handfuls of No. 2 pencils to take the SAT or ACT for the college admissions process. In this nerve wracking and stressful situation, students are expected to flawlessly demonstrate all important concepts that high school has taught them and perform to the best of their abilities in order to get into college. In recent years, there has been much speculation and dispute over the these examinations. The truth is, standardized tests to not accurately depict a student 's knowledge on a particular subject. Removing the standardized test requirement creates an equal and fair chance for all applicants by removing the socioeconomic unfairness, and forces admissions

The practice of using standardized testing by schools over many years as a way of measuring student’s abilities and understanding of the material is slowly starting to change. Some schools in the New York State are shortening the test period to increase the class time as it “take(s) up too much class time, both in days of testing and in test preparation” (HARRIS). The student is usually given a limited time to complete a scantron-based test which will later be used by the education system to determine the student’s success rate. The pressure and anxiety among students are increasing as the test is getting more complicated and getting more valued than student’s overall achievements. The education system is

FairTest talks about how schools use standardized testing the wrong way and are causing many negative impacts. It causes the curriculum to narrow as well as make teachers teach to the test which thus drives them out of their profession. The stress on schools and teachers to raise the average grade is increasing. Because these tests don’t accurately take into account any other things but that one test, it is causing students to lower self esteem due to lower grades and therefore, dropping out. I plan on using this source to support why standardized testing should be reduced by mentioning how it affects how students are taken into account.

Standardized testing was introduced by French psychologist Alfred Binet in 1905. The test originated because Binet was commissioned by the French government to create a tool to identify which students needed remedial studies. Over time, the standardized tests evolved into multiple different tests in multiple subjects for varying age groups of students. The tests were initially seen as a way to test a large sum of people with the same general questions to see an individual’s knowledge. Some people still view the tests in a positive way, but with new studies and information on the tests have made people question the test’s effect. In 2007, a study done by Au Wayne showed multiple issues in the tests and created controversy in the United

As a teacher and parent, I have questioned the use of stat standardized test in our school today. With the information provided from the course School and Classroom Assess, I have discovered through discussions, assignments, and reading materials that others feel that there are some pros and cons to standardized test; yet we understand that standardized test serves a purpose which is beneficial to teachers, parents, and students. Standardized test is most commonly used to measure student achievement.

Knowledge is power. Standardized tests, whether it is an achievement test or a subject-specific test, is based on your knowledge. Defined by W. James Popham, standardized test are “any test that’s administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard, predetermined manner” (“Background”). The earliest known standardized tests were documented in the 7th Century Imperial China. Later, in the mid-1800s, Horace Mann and Samuel Gridley Howe introduced standardized testing to Boston schools. The new tests were made to compare each school and gather information about teaching quality (“Background”). Boston’s program was soon adopted to by school systems nationwide. Standardized tests have been used in America for more than 100 years (Fletcher). The modern testing movement began with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, enacted by president Lyndon Johnson in 1965. ESEA included testing accountability preparation in an effort to raise standards and make the tests more reasonable (“Background”). A few years after, the No Child Left Behind Act was passed and signed by president George W. Bush on Jan 2, 2002 (“Background”). This legislation required annual testing in reading and math in grades 2nd through 8th and again in 10th grade. If the schools did not show “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP) they would face consequences and potentially be taken over by the state or closed down. Grade schools is not the only place where standardized tests occur. The SAT and ACT are by far the

A standardized test is any examination that is administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner. There are two major kinds of standardized tests, which includes an aptitude test and achievement test. In order to take the standardized tests it requires a registration fee, and payment that can be made by credit card, check, or money order. If a student becomes unable to participate in the standardized test, they will not be refunded for the cost of the test.