Standardized Testing Is Not Beneficial

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

Would you like to take a test that is unfair, expensive, and unreliable? Chances are you already have. Standardized testing in schools is not only bad for the students, but also bad for our country’s future. Some might think standardized testing is a good thing, because it is the only way to measure all students the same across the country. However, this thought is wrong for many reasons.

Standardized testing has become a controversial topic in recent years, parents, students, teachers, principals and almost anyone who has a relationship with education is affected by this topic. People are either for or against standardized testing, some believe it is the only fair way to compare students others believe that the tests are too greatly stressed in school and are a nuisance to education. Standardized tests are stressed greatly, students learn testing material all year not focusing on anything else deemed unimportant by the test makers. Every student has the same amount of time and question on tests; they also are tested on the same subjects which the test makers believe are most important for children to learn. Standardized tests are used for many things such as ranking students on a national basis and government funding for schools.

Diane Ravitch once said, "sometimes the most brilliant and intelligent minds do not shine in standardized tests because they do not have standardized minds" (Diane Ravitch). This quote shows that standardized testing does not meet the needs of all students, only a select few, who may not even be the brightest. A standardized test is an exam that determines a student's achievement, and aptitude over the course of years. An aptitude standardized test determines how well a student will perform after receiving some sort of education. For example, the ACT test you take your junior year of high school. An achievement standardized test determines how a student is performing and evaluates the schools effectiveness, similar to the AZMerit test. These tests cover math, science, language, and reading and was

Standardized testing has been around since the mid 1800’s. Even though testing has been around for a long time it is still debated whether or not it should precisely “score” students. Students have been subjected to standardized tests frequently through their years in school due to laws which have been passed by Congress. Decisions about the evaluation of schools and students are recurrently made by government authority and are often not in the best interest of teachers, students, or their classroom environments.

Standardized tests exist for administrative, political, and financial purposes, not for educational ones (institute4learning). Should teachers teach to a test? Are standardized tests worth the stress and anxiety they put upon students? All students don’t learn the same so, why test them the same. Standardized tests are damaging our education.

have to teach the matctial faster, which is very stressful for kids, and sometimes have questions that aren't completely a part ofthe standard.

Stressful standardized testing turns many classrooms into training centers instead of offering an engaging, well-rounded, preparatory environment. Long lectures and teachers preaching causes students to grow bored and dose off ultimately dropping test scores. Students feel like they are nothing more than their test scores, and feel a sense of not knowing who they are. These standardized tests also lead to anxiety and depression in students, and can lead to students feeling like dropping out is the only option. No, standardized testing should not be eliminated completely, but rather be evaluated by universities as well as things such as volunteer hours, extracurricular activities, and grades. “The Essential of a Good Education,” written by Diane Ravitch, states this very clearly. In this aricle: she critizues the education system in America today.

Tests of children in grade two are possibly to be unpredictable. Therefore, the test grades for early children are much less consistent than for elder children. Research clearly displays that for children under fourth grade, the method of taking tests and responding on specialized answer sheets can show more demanding than the perceptive tasks the tests are requesting them to report. Thus the test results are too much prejudiced by children's capacity to fill in bubbles and handle pieces of paper; too little determined by their capacity to delivered. This position paper outlines reasons to oppose standardized testing of second graders, plus the effects on teachers and schools, and then suggests the Early Literacy Assessment.

Standardized testing, by definition, is “any form of test that requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from a common bank of questions, in the same way, and is scored in a ‘standard’ or consistent manner, which makes it possible to compare the relative performance of individual students or groups of students.” Indicating that every group of test-taking pupils are graded on the same sets of skills, this definition suggests that such exams hinder one’s ability to use their imagination as only one correct answer exists. Due to this rigidness, an increasing amount of criticism arises, claiming that this system negatively affects students. Lewis Carroll’s famous heroine, Alice Kingsleigh, conjures up an

The United States recognizes that standardized testing is a central part of the educational system in our country. What many people do not know though is the history of where it came from. Beginning in the mid-1800’s prestigious universities decided they wanted to give more students across the country a better chance at going into higher education, but at the time there was not a way to measure the capabilities of students in both high class and low class families. This is how standardized testing came into play. If a student could do well on these tests regardless of their financial position than their scores would hopefully speak for themselves. Now standardized testing performs many more roles compared to its simple origins.

Standardized testing doesn’t help students, it instead helps adults that don’t have to take the tests “Politicians get elected by promising better test results. Administrators get funding and avoid harsh penalties by boosting test scores.” (http://institute4learning.com/) Teachers also take time to teach things that are only covered on the standardized tests. If something interests the students or might be valuable in other aspects of life it is skipped over and remains unknown to

Standardized testing has been used throughout recent history for evaluation by companies and universities and to test capacity and intellect within the education system. Even in China, standardized testing was used in a basic form to control citizens’ suitability for positions in the government and society. Alfred Binet established the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test, which is now known as the IQ test. During World War I, the armed forces used Army Mental Tests to regulate the best positions for new draftees. IBM industrialized a system of standardizing test scores by scanning bubbled in answers, and today we use those scantrons and scantron machines. The College Board presented the SAT test we use today almost ninety years ago. When it was

Some kids just want to talk to their friends during recess, but they can't because they're are taking a test.

Rise and shine. Dress yourself and get to school. Sit through class after class while teachers try, to the best of their ability, to stuff bundles of knowledge into your head for the oh-so-important standardized tests. Go home and try to make sense of this sea of information for your good and your school’s. Repeat. This is the normal routine for students to undergo in order to reap acceptable grades on standardized tests. The cost of these tests aren 't worth the so-called benefits. Standardized testing is an ineffective tool in the education system because it is detrimental to students’ education and it has negative effects on students.