The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing In Schools

Texas takes the STAAR, Alabama the ARMT, and Hawaii the HSA. Each state in the U.S. has a standardized test required of every student. From the ACT and SAT to the STAAR tests, standardized testing has become common practice for almost every student. The earliest records of standardized testing are when in China, anyone wanting to get a job in government had to fill out their knowledge of Confucian philosophy and poetry in examination. As more and more kids began to go to school during the Industrial Revolution, standardized testing spread as a way to quickly and easily test a large number of students. But not everyone agrees with the tests, stating that they are unreliable, and that the stakes are too high. Standardized tests cause immense amount of stress for not only students, but teachers as well. And the tests might not even be effective, causing more anxiety than it's worth.

Standardize tests can be used to evaluate a student's understanding and knowledge in subject area. For example, The Georgia Milestones Assessment System (Georgia Milestones) is a comprehensive summative assessment, which measures how well students have learned the knowledge and skills outlined in the state-adopted content standards in English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Standardize test have a positive effect on instructional decision making in the classroom. Standardize testing can help teachers diagnose student issues, evaluate student academic performance, form small groups, and develop instructional plans.

When people think of the education system, most can say that there are some problems, though they might not be able to pinpoint what needs to change first. If you ask most teachers, they will say that the first thing that needs to be changed in the schooling system to help the students more is the standardized testing. They will say that while it can be helpful it has a lot of faults and needs to be updated or changed to help its students. Standardized testing has often been a topic for discussion, between parents and people in the schooling system. It seems that a lot of people either hate standardized testing for not giving every child a chance to succeed, or love it for being a fair way to test whether a child knows what they need to know at their age. There have been many articles, books, and documentary’s debating on whether or not standardized testing is doing more harm then good. There was a comic made that shows the brutality and bluntness of what standardized testing is really like. Standardized Testing causes too much stress by putting unfair expectations on teens and doesn’t give every single student the chance to succeed.

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind law in 2002, standardized testing has been at the center of attention in the educational system. Several schools and teachers have been forced to drill children on the information they will be tested on. Teachers are forced to demonstrate other important topics in order to teach test material. Similar to majority of tests provided in the school system, standardized test have both pros and cons. Generally speaking, standardized testing is a great way to determine a baseline for a child. As Miller (2016) indicated, tests have a multitude of benefits, which include student enthusiasm, peer learning, self-improvement and retention, transfer of learning, student self-assessment, and teacher instructional guidance. Teachers are able to use the data from the standardized tests to build an entire academic plan around the results. Additionally, students and parents are able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each child in order to determine the next steps needed to help bridge any gaps within their academic studies.

Clammy hands, extreme anxiety, and increased heart rate are all symptoms that occur along side standardized tests. Standardized tests have found their way into the center of American education. These achievement tests are used to determine a student’s performance in particular content areas for a certain school year. The student’s scores are then cross referenced to the scores of all other students that took the same test (Haladyna). Many students work hard during their educational careers, only to do poorly on a standardized test and lose their chances at being accepted into any decent college. Standardized tests are not beneficial to the student nor to the teacher and are sometimes even harmful. Students should be given standardized tests less frequently and educators should place less emphasis on scores students receive on these tests. Standardized exams favor upper-class majority students, decrease the quality of public education, and ineffectively measure a student’s achievement.

Although standardized testing has been a major part of schooling it has also had a negative impact on effective education. Standardized has made a huge impact on public schooling so much that not only does it affect the students but also the teachers. With the teachers now beginning to get raises or having their jobs on the line if their students fail the test, many students have not been getting the fullest education process that they could get. Students may not realize the impact that it has had on the type of teaching style that they receive because they are so used to it. With so many teachers not having a lot of time to teach what is on the test and the other things that they feel are important to students to know, a lot of

Education has been an important part of society for centuries. Over the years it has slowly evolved into what it is today. The topic of education has been controversial since the beginning. It seems as though there is always someone that sees a need for change in how students are being taught and assessed. More specifically, many people think that standardized testing is not an effective way to assess students. While on the other hand, many also believe that standardized testing is the most efficient and effective way to assess people of all ages. The debate over standardized testing has been shown to effect students and the community in many different ways. Standardized assessments have had huge impacts with both teachers and students. Whether one thinks standardized testing is effective and efficient or misdirecting and unproductive it is a big part of the educational system. While the argument may present that standardized tests leads to simulated knowledge, others argue that standardized tests are very effective in assessing students.

Standardized testing is used throughout schools in America to measure a student’s ability to understand the material and take a test. Consequently, these tests are being used to determine a student’s future by allowing a student to pass a grade or graduate. Various amounts of students have had to retake courses or grades because of the way they scored on a standardized test. Students feel a tremendous amount of pressure to perform well on these tests. The drawbacks of standardized testing include an administrator teaching the curriculum based on the test, and the lack of reflection of education.

Standardized tests are exams that are supposed to measure a child’s academic knowledge but have long been a controversial subject of discussion. Although it is one method to see how a child is performing, is it the best method? Standardized testing can be biased or unfair, inhibit both the teacher’s and the children’s creativity and flexibility, affect funding for schools, cause untested subjects to be eliminated from the curriculum, and cause anxiety for children and teachers.

Who pays for the standardize tests that just repeatedly test students over the same things? Is it the tax payers, schools, local, state, or are these tests government funded? Here are the exact words from an article from the eduFocus, “According to a study by Brown Center on Education Policy, a sufficient education isn’t the only thing that standardized tests are costing students, school districts, and tax payers. The study finds that 44 states spend upwards of a collective $1.7 billion on standardized testing each year of grades K through 12. The state of Pennsylvania alone spent over $58M on standardized testing, roughly $33 per student (assuming all students are tested every year).” (Strauss). Where else could that money go? It could make

Standardized testing- in any dictionary or any website, it can be described as "a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner". Though, if you go to any school and ask a student's definition of testing, it would probably sound something along the lines of, "the WORST kind of punishment a teacher can give a student." What the students don’t know is testing is helping them create their lifestyle, paving their life, and preparing them for their future. Standardized testing has been debated nationally; people who believe in standardized testing has a positive effect on students claim that, standardized testing provides descriptive information for thoughtful use by well trained teachers. Some reasons for this is: standardized testing has been around since the 1930s when students in public schools first started testing; testing has only progressed since then. Also, we are able to get more information from our students than just regular tests in classrooms. Last, but certainly not least, testing aids as a system to help for future development for any of our students.

Eighty out of one hundred-eighty days, on average of twenty point three percent for eighth graders, one hundred-twelve tests overall, twenty-five percent on average, these are statistics found on the amount of time that standardized test take.(*****) Which doesn’t include the optional exams like the Advanced Placement (AP), American College Training (ACT), or the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), along with the inclass exams like the tests, quizzes, and prep time taken for all of these exams. Are classrooms over testing their student’s? *

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.

Most of today’s generation will say that they remember the standardized tests that they had to take almost yearly in high school. Some say it was nerve-racking and difficult. While others say that it is not as bad as it is made out to seem. Regardless mostly everyone that has went through all four years of high school has taken a standardized test. These tests are used in Schools to measure the increase or decrease in student’s academic growth. After the tests have been taken teachers and administration can see what they are doing right or wrong in specific areas of subjects. The scores on these tests also account for the amount of funding that the public schools will get for the following year. One major test that effects mostly everyone moving on to college after high school is the ACT or SAT exam. A good score on this exam could make a huge difference for your future. For example, if a student scores a 25 or above on the ACT then they are able to go to Triton College tuition free. Some colleges will not accept a student solely based on their ACT score. All standardized tests can cause both bad and good things for a student’s future or the way they are taught in years to come.

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.