Arguments Against Standardized Testing

As the federal government spent approximately $141 billion on education in 2014, and is gradually increasing over years. The public attention on education is also increasing. Both students and educators always have interest in standardized tests that the government is implementing in efforts to improve education in American schools. The College Entrance Examination Board, known as the College Board, was founded in the United States in 1900. This was initially an essay exam testing students in math, science, literature. In 1926, in the interests of efficiency and evaluation of testing, the multiple choice Scholastic Aptitude Test was occurred. The SAT is a commonly used as a tool to help estimate the high school students’ readiness to college.

The test is an effective way to not only evaluates students’ objective skills in reading, writing and math skills, but also helps students to become more globally competitive (Walberg). Those against the use of standardized testing argue that the test do not truly teaches students, but creates problem solving tricks and artificial ways of thinking. They also argue the test is biased, they point out the correlation between test scores and external factors such as family income, location, and race. On the other hand, supporters say testing is both a genuine tool for knowledge and an objective way to measure academic performance, thus needed to be reinforced more (Walberg). The controversy over standardized testing creates an incentive for every students, parents, and educators to be involved. Although SAT is being questioned for its objectivity and competitivity by some, it is definitely the most effective way to provide valid and reliable measurements for colleges to distinguish internationally competitive

The United States currently ranks 27th among 34 other global education systems (Schleicher). As a nation, there is a duty to promote a high quality education for all peoples, but the country’s rankings suggest that the education system needs improvement. A comparative study by John Bishop of Cornell University presents evidence of the learning value of standardized tests. In one study, he found that countries where requiring students to take nationally standardized tests often showed higher test scores on international tests than those in countries where not requiring the tests. Therefore, standardized test such as SAT should be improved as in a form of mandatory annual test to induce students to be prepared on their academic success. Tests also help educators because they can concentrate on the issue of how to teach, not what to teach. In this case, SAT scores show how unequal the school system is, and identifies which schools need more improvement and resources because their students are falling behind the average. In another study, Bishop found that U.S. students who are required to pass a standardized test for high school graduation learned more science and math, and they were more likely to complete homework and talk with their parents about assignment, and watched less television than their peers whose school was not required to pass exams. These rigorous activities encourage students to