Argumentative Essay On Standardized Testing

Throughout students' education, they are required to take standardized tests. These tests alone throughout the years have seemingly don’t reflect the student's effort in their individual classes and academic achievements. This concern is prominent to this day without a solution to the issues surrounding education and especially education testing. Essentially, standardized testing is not needed in today’s classrooms and learning environments and alternatives can be reached. Firstly, the standardized tests that students are required to take don’t explain how to improve their academics and don’t replicate what is taught in classrooms. When results are shown, they do show areas that students are weakest in, but do not specify what category of

A politician swears more promising test results in order to get elected; an administrator boosts test scores to get funding and avoid severe penalties. All parties benefit except for the test takers. “While educators, students, and parents have pushed back on standardized testing, most of their cries have fallen on deaf ears of federal legislators.” (Naughton, J. p. 272) Congress has treated education policies like one-size-fits-all from day one. Parents have fought against the system of standardized testing and the law No Child Left Behind Act (2002). Under the No Child Left Behind Act, poor children are supplied with extra educational aid in exchange for improving their academics. This law eventually became controversial and was replaced due to its failure of getting every student to read and able to do math at the end of 2013. Educators and activists alike have reinforced Common Core State Standards by opting out. By opting out the parents have refused to let their children take mandatory tests. “Opt-out parent leaders further engage with educational and political leaders to change standardized testing policies. Yet, the opt-out movement’s success in removing standardized testing from the nation’s classrooms has been limited” (Szolowicz, M. p. 97) The option of opting out the students is exclusively available in 3 states, and the law National Education Association (2020) still requires standardized testing due to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. These laws as roadblocks for further change in the system further prove that standardized testing is in place for their benefit and not for the students themselves. The presidents can pass these laws and most of them are proven ineffective and don’t aid most students. It is not for educational purposes that these tests are used, but for the advantage of