Standardized Testing Research Paper

The satirical news site The Onion did a pro and con list of standardized testing which highlights it perfectly. Some of the pros are, “Every student measured against same narrow, irrelevant set of standards” and, “Western tradition of critical thinking best embodied in bubble-sheet format”. One of the funnier cons is, “There are easier ways to measure parents’ income” (The Onion). In a sad way, these have some truth behind them. Which shows how much of a joke standardized testing

Forms of standardized testing have been around since the Sui dynasty time period, in which the Sui and Tang dynasties conducted imperial examinations in order to test those that hoped for government positions. Many other cultures have adopted it as well and refined it into almost an art form; for example, the United States. The United States began to conduct standardized testing around the time of the First World War; these tests measured the abilities of soldiers in order to give them jobs according to their results. Although the approaches to standardized tests are very different, the same general concept is the same. Since then there has been an increase of standardized tests: SAT, ACT, ASVAB, TAKS, STAAR, and EOC’s, just to name a few.

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.

By World War I, standardized testing was a common practice in the United States. It started with the Chinese, filling out tests to determine job status among the workers. During the industrial revolution, children left the farms and land to sit behind a desk, which caused the need to test a large amount of children quickly. The most common and well-known in our society are the SAT and ACT, which became a common rite of passage into universities in our society. There are many different views on standardized testing, creating a rift in our society, whether it has positive or negative impacts on our educational community and futures of children in our country.

Standardized testing has been practiced in schools across America since the mid-1800’s. Today, they are used to assess where a student is placed in their educational career. Standardized tests commonly test students in the subjects of math, reading, writing, and science. Colleges also partially base their admissions on standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT. According to the Pew Center on the States, annual state spending on standardized tests rose from $423 million to almost $1.1 billion in 2008. (standardizedtests.procon.org) With states spending this much money on these tests, many question how well they actually work. Students are essentially being judged on what they know on the spot, and to many that determines

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Albert Einstein, a German-born physicist. This quote is referring perfectly to standardized testing by saying something along the lines of, you can’t judge a student’s ability to perform well in school by giving him/her a standardized test. Standardized testing is wrong just because not all students can perform well on a test, including myself. Administration often want to take the easiest way out to collect the data they need to place students in classes instead placing them according to something else; or in such way that is fair to all students. Education is a big part of our nation today with one of the biggest components being standardized testing, which does not accurately measure full capabilities of students from elementary on up to the high school level.

The use of standardized tests is not something new. Everyone should know about their importance and the emphasis put on them, along with the stress that follows. There are multiple choice tests, high-stakes tests, and the dreaded time-limited tests. It is true to say not all tests are created equal; however, every one of these tests has serious flaws. Standardized tests are unfair because they fail to measure students' abilities, they cause an unnecessary amount of stress, and there are too many incentives to teach the test.

Imagine, a world where there was no more standardized testing. Standardized testing is definitely something that all schools use now. Standardized testing is traced back from “seventh-century China, when the government began administering written exams to select candidates for the civil service.”(Standardized Testing).Standardized testing in the pass to now is being used to classify students into their classes. (Standardized testing). Standardized testing should be eliminated from schools.

Many forms of standardized tests are in place. There are some for college admissions, for state regulations, along with a variety of other types. The one thing they all have in common is that they are not the best way to educate students, don’t accurately indicate anything about the knowledge of the test taker, and take time away from more principal learning. Most tests are administered during school hours and given too frequently. Therefore, students are forced to miss instruction time and sit through

Many of those who are in favor of standardized testing will argue that standardized does the except opposite from what was stated above. Standardized testing is useful in determining which students are intelligent and hard-working, who will go off to top colleges and have a good career. One view is that the tests have gotten better over the years, making it more reliable and accurate in measuring intelligence. They show how much the student has grown and whether or not they are performing as an average student should of a certain grade level (Education Post). It is also argued that standardized tests demonstrate whether or not the schools and teachers are capable of teaching/ if the school programs are working (Campbell). While the tests have

Standardized testing is a form of test that’s commonly used in today’s world, especially in here the United States. These tests check what your teacher taught students over the years they are in school, and the tests used constantly to assess our schools here in the United States. Aside from being used to evaluate the schools, colleges check the scores students receive to see if they would be willing to accept them. With how important these standardized tests have become, most states now require students to take them. The states have become dictatorial in determining what needs to be learned and what can be pushed over to the side to ensure that schools meet the benchmarks the states have made. These tests affect schools and education negatively and they completely eradicate the meaning of teaching.

For over 150 years students in the United States have been given the standardized test. Flip Today, standardized testing in our nation’s schools has become the normal for …placement…etc for students in grades three through eight in all fifty states. In twelve of the fifty states standardized testing is required to graduate high school. Graduation qualifying exams are used in 12 of the 50 states. ***Standardized test measures a student’s academic a standardized test measures or standardized tests measure…progress. Many argue these standardized tests take away valuable time and resources from what students should be learning in the classroom, as well as funding the school receives, standardized testing is very costly with the test manufactures having control of the test. Teachers have been known to report the results of the standardized test do not come back until the summer as most tests are administered later in the school year so teachers have time to prepare the students for the test, once teacher receive the results they are on summer break and are preparing for a new group of students. Other teachers state there is no feedback about the student's scores so there is no feedback on what needs to be improved from the teacher's point. Studies show that many students have test anxiety, more so in students with disabilities, with

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.

What exactly is standardized testing you may ask, it is a test which measures the knowledge among different students. There are many different standardized test in many different forms. High school standardized test include the SAT, ACT, and the awful dreaded FCAT. There are also standardized test in many different fields such as Medical (MCATs)

Imagine yourself stuck in a room, sitting at a desk. On that desk is a test booklet labeled “Standard Test,” with no other writing. It’s a 100 question test trying to wring every last bit of information you can remember from the past year. It’s very stressful, and frankly, very useless. Standardized tests have only proved to be useful for cramming knowledge into children's heads, and education is something more. Standardized tests are simply useless for proving what education is truly about.