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Arguments Against Standardized Testing

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On any given Saturday during the school year, high school campuses are packed with students taking a test that will dictate their potential to pursue higher education. These high schoolers are forced to endure two hours and fifty­five minutes of standardized testing in hopes that they will finally receive the score they desire. For some, their performance on this test is just about bragging rights, but for others, it's about thousands of dollars in scholarship money. As the test proctor announces that five minutes remain, students rush to finish each section by bubbling in random answers as quickly as humanly possible. Nonetheless, the pressure placed on high schoolers to do well on standardized tests negatively affects students’ test­taking …show more content…

Furthermore, the ACT’s, “four subject area tests are directly related to what students have learned in high school in those four courses” ("State ACT Scores Fall below Average"). This statement suggests that the ACT is a reliable source when testing what students have learned throughout high school and an adequate estimate of students GPA throughout college. However, when, “labeling a test score as readiness, the council's use of a single score for placement purposes violates standards for the proper use of tests” (Skip). Skip’s statement reveals that while the ACT tests students' abilities, this test alone should not qualify a student for higher education or determine one's potential to succeed. In addition, colleges and universities throughout America decide a student's eligibility based off of accuracy on standardized tests; however, students also have a designated time to finish each section. For example, test­takers are required to answer sixty math problems in sixty minutes on the ACT. This time frame forces students to answer one math problem per minute; therefore, applying pressure and stemming test­taking anxiety. As Zeidner states in Test Anxiety: The State of the Art, when students are tested on a …show more content…

These factors demonstrate that this source of testing is not an accurate representation of a student’s intellectual ability; therefore, students pursuit for higher education should not be dictated by one test.
Ultimately, standardized tests, such as the ACT, should not control a student’s ability to pursue higher education. Even though institutions view these test scores to decide a student’s eligibility, the ACT does not determine how a student will succeed in a college or university. Nevertheless, while students are required to take these test to graduate high school, institutions should consider more than test scores and not let the ACT be the determining factor in a student’s true ability. The ACT’s unreasonable price of forty­two dollars and fifty cents and the strict time conditions in each section greatly influences students’ capability to do well on these test. Furthermore, if a student cannot afford to take the test after they use the two fee waivers, their college opportunity should not suffer. Standardized tests place a tremendous amount of pressure on students because students have to answer numerous questions correctly in strict time conditions. Interestingly, these tests dictate the future of many students; however, students’ prosperity should rely solely upon themselves, not a test

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