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Arguments Against Standardized Testing

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Parents and education officials in the United States have a growing concern that the children in their public-school systems are being taught how to take tests instead of being taught the lesson plans that they should be learning. Increased standardized testing is having a negative effect on the nation’s public-schools by reducing teaching time and producing lower tests scores than countries with less standardized testing than the United States.
In a recent study of some of the largest districts in the nation, it was found that the number of unnecessary tests that are being given to children in the United States has risen in the past decade. Students take 112 state-mandated tests between pre-kindergarten and the end of their 12th grade year. This is not including the tests that each teacher gives for individual subjects. Third-world countries, such as Vietnam and South Asia, outperformed the United States on the Program for International Student Assessment. The nation was outranked by 38 countries in math, 24 in science, and 22 in reading. The countries that rank over the U.S only take 3 tests during their …show more content…

Jeffrey Cipriani, a second grade teacher from Boston, stated that it takes him three weeks to test each of his students individually on a test that required by the school district and not state-mandated. Robert Schaeffer works for a non-profit organization that is critical of standard testing. He believes that the nation’s students, “…prepare for the tests to prepare for the tests to prepare for the tests.” The results of the study show no correlation between the amount of testing in a district and the way they perform on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a federal test given every two years to each state. Many of the public-school teachers agree on one thing – the nation cannot assess their way to academic

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A recent study showed the average number of hours spent testing and the average number of mandated tests given of 66 city school districts. “The heaviest testing load falls on the nation’s eighth-graders, who spend an average of 25.3 hours during the school year taking standardized tests, uniform exams required of all students in a particular grade or course of study. Testing affects even the youngest students, with the average pre-K class giving 4.1 standardized tests, the report found”

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1229 Words | 5 Pages

Standard testing is a very controversial and important subject because it deals with the progression of the American education system. The practice of these assessments has been highly scrutinized not only for the way it has changed the format of classrooms, but also for its accuracy, pressure, and abundance. In 2001, standardized testing became federally mandated through the No Child Left Behind Act by former president George Bush Jr. According to research from the Council of the Great City Schools, students have been taking “an average of 113 tests from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade” (K. Hefling). These numbers have increased to the point where parents have opted for their children to not attend standardized exams.

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1754 Words | 8 Pages

Standardized tests are started way too early in the school systems. "Students as young as 6 or 7 years old are now subjected to weeks of preparation for high stakes tests. Because math, reading, and to a lesser extent, science are the only subjects regularly tested, students are drilled in those topics." (Kumeh).

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662 Words | 3 Pages

This included students who were not going on to post secondary school, and the tests used before were modified in order to assess the capabilities of the young population fairly and without bias. As time has passed the process of standardized testing has evolved although the point of testing has stayed the same; to hold schools, teachers and students accountable for the test scores made over material learned each school year. All throughout the U.S. government arguments have been made that if education reform were to happen that minority groups would take the brunt of the blow the way they did when the very first standardized tests were given. While education systems overseas may be implementing new methods of schooling and testing their progress cannot be compared to ours due to their significantly higher homogenous population that the U.S. does not have. However still, the U.S. is failing to achieve its goal through the current education system.

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565 Words | 3 Pages

Not So Standard The U.S. is the only economically advanced nation to rely heavily on standardized tests. Other nations use performance-based assessments. They use essays, projects, and activities to evaluate students. Oddly, this is because these nations do not focus on teaching to standardize multiple-choice and short-answer tests, they score higher on exams.

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1722 Words | 7 Pages

Standardized testing has caused a massive debate where people are attempting to push for erasing the federal requirement that they need to test in math and reading, but others say that the tests are important for the students that are struggling in public schools (Layton “Study” 1). The number of standardized tests given to the students in public schools has drastically increased in the past decade and to this day students spend hours upon hours being taught to the test, followed by numerous amounts of hours actually taking the standardized tests (Layton “US” 1). In a recent study it has been determined that approximately, between the grades of kindergarten and 12th grade the average student is tested approximately 112 times (Cox 1). It is reported that the heaviest test load comes onto 8th graders (Layton “Study” 1). Standardized tests are said to take up an average amount of 25.3 hours during the school year (1).

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1718 Words | 7 Pages

Since the No Child Left Behind Act was mandated in 2002, test scores in our schools have steadily declined. In spite of this, proponents argue that standardized testing is an objective and effective method to measure student achievement and to hold teachers accountable. Unfortunately, this is the farthest thing from the truth. Standardized tests are neither fair nor effectual, there overuse and misuse promotes a narrow curriculum which forces teachers to "teach to the test" instead of teaching to the student. This instruction style inhibits creativity and undermines our country's ability to produce innovators and critical thinkers.

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890 Words | 4 Pages

The tests don’t take into consideration the fact that some kids don’t have it as good as others. Some kids might not want to try hard on the tests because they are too busy wondering where their next meal will come from. Based on a PISA test taken by 6,100 students, shows that the U.S wasn’t doing as good as we used to be. We dropped a few places on math but remained about the same in reading. The students that took this test could of been chosen randomly, and if they were, then they could of took a few students that are below the poverty line.

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1288 Words | 6 Pages

In USA, standardized testing has been done since the mid 1800s and is mandated in 50 states. Standardized test had been proven to be of no help, in improving student’s knowledge, through a study by Brookings Institution. The study found that 50-80% of test score improvements were temporary and "caused by fluctuations that had nothing to do with long-term changes in learning..." . This suggests that the rise in scores are only an illusion. However, standardized test is also considered important for the government to keep track on the level of education in the country.

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1359 Words | 6 Pages

“The average student in America’s big-city schools takes some 112 mandatory standardized tests between pre-kindergarten and the end of twelfth grade - an average of about eight a year.” (Strauss) FairTest explains who is most often hurt by these testing practices; students from low-income and minority-group backgrounds, English language learners, and students with disabilities, are more likely to be denied diplomas, retained in grade, placed in a lower track, or unnecessarily put in remedial education programs. There are hundreds of articles and research showing these harmful effects of the overload of testing in U.S. public schools. Harmful testing policies also raise questions about it hindering teaching practices. All research points

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1012 Words | 5 Pages

In a 2009 Scholastic/Gates Foundation survey, 81% of US public school teachers said state-required standardized tests were at least "somewhat important” as a measure of students’ academic achievement, and 27% said that after exams teachers can help students that are struggling with the segment/chapter that they are studying. These standardized exams that students take accumulates. Teachers gathering this information over a period of time will show how students have been evolving over the course of their academic career. School districts also benefit from students doing honorable on the exams receiving increased school funds, practically a reward for the school saying “You are teaching right keep up the good work”. Students also benefit from this increased funding in the way of purchasing new equipment and programs making the learning experience better for the student.

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806 Words | 4 Pages

After George W. Bush passed the No Child Left Behind bill in 2002, annual testing has been mandated in all 50 states; skyrocketing the use of standardized testing. However, United States pupils

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823 Words | 4 Pages

Consequently, these factors are significantly important when evaluating a school. Teachers and parents argue that “”Teaching the test” is replacing good teaching practices with “drill n’ kill” rote learning” ("Is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America?”). They say that teaching for the assessment is significantly narrowing the curriculum, and that children spend more time in tedious test preparation that in hands on or project based learning activities ("Is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in

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919 Words | 4 Pages

When students could be learning meaningful information, teachers are using up that time and giving them tests and exams. Although, we want to be blaming teachers, states and schools are supposed to give out mandatory tests. Who is to blame? According to washington article post, Valerie Strauss, says “The average student in America’s big-city public schools takes some 112 mandatory standardized tests between pre-kindergarten and the end of 12th grade — an average of about eight a year, the study says. ” The state is to blame.

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