Standardized testing has been around for many years since the 5th and 4th BC (Ozturgut 1). It is the most commonly used method of testing in the United States and many other countries (Holmes 2). Standardized testing was meant to help teachers and administrators make decisions on effective ways of teaching, and to help schools compare how their students perform in comparison to other students from different schools. From elementary school to high school, American students are required to take a standardized test every year. Even many universities in the United States require standardized test scores just to apply to their schools. Over the past years, standardized testing has become a controversial topic. Some people think that it is the best …show more content…
Standardized tests are only taken one time on a certain day; it only measures a student’s competence only on that particular day. What if the student taking the test was not feeling well on the day of the test and performed poorly. That same student could have been a straight A student and would have performed better on the test if they were feeling better that day. That low score will be attached to that student all throughout their years in school, unless they did not meet the required score then they would be able to take it again. Unfortunately, that low score will be a false representation of that student. So how can we trust a system that does not accurately measure a student’s intelligence? According to Osman Ozturgut, a professor of international education, China has been using the standardized testing for centuries, but “there is no evidence that they have become successful in educating their children..” The test usually test memorization of facts, names, and dates but not if the student has a thorough understanding of the topic (Donald 197). Seeing if a student is able to retain information is not a good way of measuring academic abilities. To fully know if a student understands a topic, the tests need to have more critical thinking problems which demonstrate the student’s full comprehension of that topic. The test should not teach students how to take tests, it should help them know how to apply the information they