Arguments Against Standardized Testing

No Child Left Behind, a bill passed in 2002 which required all states to set goals and standard that would follow the guidelines of a national plan. The primary way to assure that all students met these goals was through a standardized test which would be administered once at the end of each school year, but the problem stands that standardized tests are an inadequate method of tracking the progress of students. In its current form standardized tests are designed to only measure proficiency in math, English, social studies, and science. As stated by Gerald W. Bracey, PhD

"Standardized tests cannot measure qualities like creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, curiosity, endurance, reliability, enthusiasm, empathy,

While similar to standardized tests in that they test a student’s knowledge in the core subjects, these programs allow us to see other statistics such as how fast each student learns. This approach also eliminates the stress caused by standardized tests by giving each student multiple chances to prove their individual knowledge. This approach is made possible by programs created by Khan Academy, and Scholastic that are currently being used to practice math and English. Analyzing a student over time allows us to see how fast they learn, and therefore teach them at their own pace.

The multiple choice format on the reading and math portions of the test primarily test test taking skills. When preparing for a test we are always taught to eliminate two unlikely answers to ensure a 50/50 chance of getting each question correct, but we cannot use this method of thinking when we are adults to solve everyday problems. Instead, I think that standardized tests should not only test the core subjects, but also skills that we would need in the future. This way we are not only being taught math, and reading, but also important life skills such as paying taxes, and keeping a job. A national study in 2007 conducted by the Center on Education Policy showed that 44% of school districts reduced the time spent in classes that did not have a standardized test such as social studies, and the arts. Another study conducted in 2010 shows that ever since the 1990s American’s have been scoring lower on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. Kyung-Hee Kim attributes this decline to the No Child Left Behind act because the act does not reward creative thinking, but instead encourages a linear style of learning based off of test taking skills and learning to a test. (“http://standardizedtests.procon.org”) Lastly, ever since the No Child Left Behind acts we have shown a general decrease in education. This is evident by the fact that in 2009 the United States dropped