Standardized Testing: Destroying A Healthy Education

Standardized tests are unnecessary because they are excruciating to the minds of many innocent students. Each year, the tests get tougher and stricter until the students cannot process their own thoughts. The tests become torturous to the minds of those only starting in the world of tests. The students already battling in the war are continuing to fall deeper and deeper into the world of uncreativity and narrowness. As the walls narrow in on them, they are lost and unable to become innovative thinkers. Moreover, the implementation of standardized tests into the public school systems of the United States of America has controversially raised two different views –the proponents versus the opponents in the battle of the effectiveness of

“Mostly, they worry that common standards would reduce teaching to only a small range of testable information and would not produce the knowledge, flexibility and creativity needed. Buttressing this concern, the Center on Education Policy found that the emphasis on test-based accountability has indeed already narrowed the curriculum” (Mathis). Standardized testing has become a controversial topic recently throughout the nation because of the harsh, confined lessons teachers are being forced to give. According to a news article written by the New York Times, teenagers nationwide are taking anti-depressants to cope with test-related stress and teachers would rather retire than teach when the government seems to value testing over learning. Teachers

To many students standardized testing has become another part of schooling that is dreaded. Standardized testing has been a part of school since the nineteen-thirties; in those days it was used as a way to measure students that had special needs. Since the time that standardized test have been in American schools there has been many programs that have placed an importance on the idea of standardized testing such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Evans 1). Over the years the importance of standardized testing has increased tremendously and so has the stakes, not only for teachers but also students. All states in the United States of America have state test in order to measure how much students learn, and help tell how well the

America’s educational system could improve nationally by removing standardized testing. American has recognized some of the flaws the education system has presented and chose to fix them; however, one of these problems has been standardized testing, which has not been identified nor changed. Standardized testing inflicts many problems to students that need to be fixed immediately. From inefficient teachers to poorer school systems, standardized testing needs to change because it deteriorates America’s education systems, it is an unfair disadvantage, and it cannot accurately measure a student’s amount of intelligence.

The domain of study I chose to research was how high school students feel about having to take standardized aptitude and achievement tests, specifically the ACT exam. My problem statement is ‘do high school students believe that the ACT is an effective indicator of their capacities to learn?’ I chose focus on the ACT exam because it’s what a majority of students in the Midwest region have to take in order to get into college. The discussion of the validity of standardized tests has caught my attention in recent years being a predominant figure in the news and on social media sites. Consequently, our most recent discussion question for Module 4 had me contemplating the key issues associated with the use of achievement tests

Standardized testing has been used in the United States for years while its role in education has expanded by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Standardized testing was created to promote equality within the education system; to treat and teach all student the same. The use of this test was also meant to measure the students’ progress in math and reading, as well as to determine a student promotion to the next grade; but at what cost? Preparation for standardized tests is almost twenty-four-seven, every year from third grade to eighth grade. Preparation that takes up valuable learning time in school. Preparation that is a waste to the students’ future in college and life beyond school. Standardized testing seem to demand so much from schools; not to mention its impending threat on schools to label them with bad reputations or closing them down. With such a threat breathing down the necks of the schools encouragement to cut quality education to meet the standards to ‘survive’ is tempting. Teachers would teach primary to the favor of the test and, if given the opportunity, schools would scandalously claim and put their low-scoring students in special education programs to exempt them from taking the test. Standardized testing is damaging our biggest number one priority; which is our education, an important factor that strongly impacts the children of our future!

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.

Moreover, the debate of Standardized Tests has been an ongoing dilemma yet nothing has happened to put an end to it. State sanctioned tests have been a piece of American schooling since the mid-1800s. These tests were implemented strictly after 2002's No Child Left Behind Act. Which ordered yearly testing in each of the 50 states. US undergraduates dropped from “18 on the planet in math in 2000 to 31st spot in 2009” (ProCon) with an equivalent decrease in science and no change in literature. Many other countries that do better than us in terms of reading, science and mathematics rate have shunned Standardized testing. With that said, Standardized tests are not only not effective but they are hindering student’s growth academically. A graph from the New York Times illustrates another surprising yet very true predicament. The correlation between SAT scores and family incomes were shown to conclude that families with greater incomes test better in both writing, reading and mathematics. This is because wealthier families can afford the best tutors and superior prep for Standardized tests. By weakening the value weight that these test hold, students, no matter their families’ socio economy

Standardized high-stakes testing is necessary in today's school systems and policies within education. The fate of annual standardized testing is being considered as Congress debates the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as the No Child Left Behind Act (Evans, 2015). Testing in its current form may seem detrimental to student learning, but the only thing worse than standardized testing is not having testing at all (Evans, 2015). Standardized High-stakes Testing is necessary because it serves as a platform for guiding students and teachers, it’s a great measurement tool on an individual’s performance, it helps prepare administration and it also provides a “level playing field.”

Recently, the amount of standardized testing in the United States increased drastically. “Students are taking between ten and twenty standardized tests, depending on the grade. A total average of one hundred thirteen different ones by graduation”(Locker). A few years ago the United States, along with other nations, was given a test to assess the academic strengths and weaknesses of each nation and rank them accordingly. When the results were released and the United States was ranked near the bottom, the nation decided to start incorporating more testing through school. Between benchmark, TLI, PARCC, and common core standards, teaching pedagogy changed once again. Standardized testing has had a negative effect on teachers

There is much debate circulating around how the affairs of the american educational system should be conducted, specifically regarding the utilization of standardized testing. Supporters of standardized testing view it was an objective way to evaluate student achievement across the globe. (Jain, L. Role and Benefits of..) According to the US Department of Education,”If teachers cover subject matter required by the standards and teach it well, then students will master the material on which they will be tested--and probably much more.” Meaning, teaching to the test is not necessarily a negative thing as it allows the student to focus on the essentials of a subject. (USDE, Testing: Frequently Asked…) Standardized testing grants teachers the ability to organize their curriculums to meet national and international standards. In this paper, I want to analyze the effects of standardized testing, while also identifying the potential negatives.

Imagine walking into class the day of a school-wide exam and your teacher offer you two choices, A.) Play fun games outside with your friends or , B.) Take a boring an extremely long test. If your answer was A then get ready to put down that #2 pencil and pick up that bouncy ball. In almost every school, both local and international students are required to take standardized test and exams. The results of these tests are used for a number of reasons. Many children miss out on a wide variety of academic opportunities because of the results of the test that deemed them not proficient,based on their results of a standardized test. Unfortunately, a A standardized test has been a stressor to students academic lives.

“According to a peer- reviewed, 100-year analysis by Richard P. Phelps, 93% of studies found that standardized tests have a positive effect on student achievement”(National Assessment of Educational Progress ,2014). But what does this percentage really mean? This means that through time students have scored better and better on standardized tests. But does that mean they’ve actually achieved more? The improvement of scores could just be a function of the increased attention given to the tests. Teachers today are expected to prepare students for those tests since it can determine a school’s ranking and in some cases a teacher’s salary (Popham, 1999). So, the 93% of studies that say standardized tests helped students do better actually carry many confounding factors, one of them being the increased emphasis on preparation for standardized tests of the time which could greatly skew the data and lead to an illusory correlation, more standardized tests correlates to better

From the time that children begin school, standardized tests have been used to gauge their intellect and evaluate how they stack up amongst their peers. Since the initiation of the No Child Left Behind Act, under the Bush administration, standardized testing has seen a sharp increase. The immense emphasis placed upon standardized tests has acquired several opponents and received backlash from various parties involved. Although the tests are implemented with positive intended results, there are several negative aspects surrounding their use that should be taken into consideration. The advantages or disadvantages of these tests depend on the individual, therefore standardized testing should be optional within the college admission process.

The debate on standardized tests and its adequacy in testing a student’s knowledge about a subject has been going on for many years. Tests, in general, has been around for centuries and without them there would not be progress and no gleams of progress. Students ranging from elementary school to high school have experienced standardized testing. Teachers, educators, and parents are also involved in the students’ lives, which revolves around the tests, one way or another. There are many views on standardized test. However, the three most common views are: educators who are for standardized test which benefits students, educators who are at the other extreme of opposing standardized tests, and educators who view tests are a benefit if done in appropriate amounts.