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Argumentative Essay On Standardized Testing

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A standardized test, according to W. James Popham of ASCD.org, is “any examination that is administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner.” In standardized testing, examinees are instructed to precisely answer a specific set of questions, which are usually multiple-choices. Although standardized testing is believed to be an objective method to grade students, administers should understand that these tests are not only a waste of time, but also a waste of money. Standardized testing is irrelevant to a student’s education because it is an unreliable way to measure a student’s knowledge, causes stress, and hinders a student’s overall learning potential.
To begin with, standardized tests are not wholly reflective of a student’s knowledge. …show more content…

School rankings are important and taken very seriously, especially in public schools. The higher a school ranks; the more advantages it gains. The government provides high ranking schools with funds or subsidies to help obtain new facilities, advanced technology, and more professionally experienced teachers. If students of a specific school do not achieve certain criterion that raises the school’s ranking, then the school will not gain the benefits of funds or subsidies that are provided by the government. To prevent this failure from becoming a reality, teachers will try and “teach to the test”. This method will prevent students from gaining the knowledge they seek and will not work to their advantage later on in the future. Most high school classes are teaching students how to take tests rather than teaching them how to skilfully answer them and master them. This causes students to enter college and university unprepared as they develop little skill-making abilities. High-stake standardized testing, such as the SAT, is burdensome for students. The standardized test scores that a student receives determine which university a student can attend and this greatly impacts his or her future. Along with the external exams high school seniors have to sit for, many universities require students to sit for

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