Two Sides Of Standardized Testing In The United States

Imagine a test capable of making or breaking a student's chances of getting into his or her dream college. Imagine a test score that can be easily influenced, but only through thousands of dollars worth of coaching. Now imagine that same test but biased towards certain crowds of students while also being incapable of accurately predicting their futures. Is this the test you want for colleges to use in order to distinguish students? This is the SAT—famous for the unnecessary pressure it presents to students as well as the unfair disadvantages it presents to many others. Since these SAT scores are extremely artificial, SAT tests are not an accurate predictor for future success.

"Study says standardized testing is overwhelming nation's public schools." The Washington Post. WP Company, 24 Oct. 2015. Web. 09 Mar. 2017. This source provides statistics to demonstrate the dramatic increase of standardized testing and specific examples to establish the effects these tests can have on a learning environment. It is stated that a typical student takes an average of 112 mandated standardized tests between pre-kindergarten and 12th grade. While one of the reasons behind the excessive amounts of testing is to improve America’s academic competitiveness, most countries that rank higher that the U.S. in academic’s test students three times throughout their entire school career. This source suggests that the problem comes from tests being mandated by multiple sources, Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, and state and local governments. While every test is mandated for a different reason, the main priority is not the benefit of the children. An example utilized to demonstrate the detrimental effects of excessive testing is a K-8 Pilot School in Boston. Individual, 90 minute reading tests are required every year. This causes teachers to spend over 60 hours of class time not teaching. Although many people support the use of standardized tests, excessive testing is still recognized as a problem from multiple sides of the argument. The president of the Education Trust, an advocacy group focused on reducing the achievement gap, believes there is

Research shows that the use of standardized testing has spanned centuries, some of the earlier studies include data from the early 1900’s. According to Frazier (2009), “there is a significant difference in scores on standardized tests when students have completed a technology education program”. This study shows a correlation between the use of technology within the school system and achievement on standardized tests. Students that are exposed to technology education are more likely to do well on standardized tests.

Standardized testing is used throughout every grade in school today. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the use of standardized testing to access students’ progress. Many teachers feel that they must teach to the test and parents feel that their child is spending too much time testing and not enough time learning. According to a new study, preschools spend an average of 4.8 hours, third graders spend an average of 20.6 hours, eighth graders spend an average of 25.3 hours, and eleventh graders spend an average of 22.5 hours on testing (Layton, 2015). Although, some parents, teachers, and schools feel that standardized testing have a purpose and show the growth of their schools and classrooms, many parents and teachers are fighting to have standardized test limited or removed from schools, because they feel that standardized testing are becoming harmful to students.

“There is something deeply hypocritical in a society that holds an inner-city child only eight years old "accountable" for her performance on a high-stakes standardized exam but does not hold the high officials of our government accountable for robbing her of what they gave their own kids six or seven years before,” quote Jonathan Kozol. As this quote apptly states many children are often robbed of simple childhood pleasures by standardized testing. These strenuous tests should be cut back to the absolute minimum. Standardized tests should not be required because they provide unnecessary stress, are often inaccurate because of computer and human error, and some students, particularly minorities, are at a clear disadvantage.

Do you know how old kids are when they take their first standardized test?Kids take their first test in pre-K.Kids that young don’t need to take a test when they don’t know much they should use the time to learn.Kids should focus on learning, and the government should shorten the tests. This essay will persuade the reader that the government should shorten the tests because the kids take too much tests, spend too much time taking them, and pressure and stress.

I think the schools is putting to much emphasis on the Standardized Test. I think the government is trying to make the standardized test hard and hard each year I think the government wanna make the students in the school's fail there test's. Because it's no point they making the test hard and hard for the students to pass I think they should be making the test easier for the students to pass and get out of the school early so they don't have to worry about school no more. I think the parents of the kids that fail the Standardized test should have a protest go up to Washington D.C go to the white house and stand by the gates and protest. The government would listen to the kids that's not a factor to them government only care about the money

Standardized testing has been around since the mid 1800’s. Numbers went up when President George W. Bush enforced the No Child Left Behind Act and stated that testing will be annually in all 50 states. That is when education became more about being able to pass the test then actually trying to learn the subject and truly understand. Ever since students have always dealt with trying to get a certain score on test so they can know what schools are willing to accept them. That score just does not apply to the student it also involves the educators and the school as well. If schools do not achieve a certain goal they have budget cuts and cut teachers. Are test scores the determining factor of how much money a school will receive for that year? Is that fair to the students who want to get a great education and want to thrive to try to go law school or medical school?

Why do we take so many standardized testing each year? That is a question that students at my school ask all the time. The end of the school year is the best and the worst time. Summer is right around the corner, but we still have all our standardized testing to take. It causes so much pressure and stress for all students, teachers and even some of the parents. It is one test for your subject to prove everything you know and have been learning the whole year. I do understand how there is pros and cons of standardized testing, But I believe that the cons overpower the pros. Standardized testing has not improved student achievement (Is the use of standardized testing improving education in America?)

Standardized testing is used to tell students level in certain areas of academics; however, it is actually a waste of time and money.

Every year, millions of students take long standardized tests, but do they improve the education of American students? In 2000, the US ranked 18th in mathematics worldwide. By 2012, the US dropped to 27th, with similar results in the remaining subjects. After passing the “No Child Left Behind” Act of 2001, the lives of thousands were academically changed. NCLB’s Mission Statement reads: “Our mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.” Standardized testing is declining the education in America by placing financial burdens on schools, as well as reprioritizing school choices, unnecessary

I t is well known that Standardized testing is not popular with students, but many teachers also do not agree with the method as well. Teachers see the testing as a burden and an end to creative and fun curriculum. Teachers teach all year for what will be on the test. Students are forced to learn by memorization quickly with so much knowledge being imposed on them at one time. Teachers have to teach so many core factors that they do not have hours to spend the wanted and needed lot of time on certain content. The article “It’s déjà vu all over again!” includes comments from educators on testing “The tests tend to measure factual memorization of names and dates, rather than important conceptual understandings and interpretations” (pg.199). Children can profess when and where The Battle of Gettysburg was, but could not express what the speech was about and the lasting impositions of the speech. They memorize a topic to pass a test. That is standardized testing. That is not learning.

Standardized testing just adds to the long list of tests taken by student every year. Council of the Great City Schools Study says that a typical student takes 112 mandated tests between Pre-K and 12th grade. That doesn’t count tests that are given on a regular basis. The heaviest testing falls on the nation’s 8th grade.According to Washington Post, the average 8th grader spends 25.3 hours a year taking standardized tests. Having that many tests a year is stressful to both the student and the teacher. Teachers feel they need to prepare for the tests, which cuts out on the time that lessons can be taught. Standardized testing is too much for a student to handle along with all the other tests and homework they have.

Why must the child participate in standardized testing each year? Isn’t once every two years enough? Standardized testing is a topic that has been going around for quite a while now, and isn’t going away any time soon. Going to school basically means, just going to learn how to pass the test now a days. Standardized testing isn’t healthy, it creates anxiety, makes the kid learn just to pass the test. A test doesn’t or shouldn’t measure how intelligent a student is.

It doesn’t matter if you're in Elementary school, Middle school or even High school everybody in school has to take test in every subject for everything. Year after year you come back to school just to retake the same test you did last year to see if your in the average scoring that you should be for your class grade year. I believe that schools should not test students with a standardized test to see if they are where they need to be. Many kids learn at a different speed, it's wasting a lot of money and we should have different test for different people on how to test them to see if there where they need to be.