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Arguments Against Standardized Testing

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Einstein once said: "…if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” In his analogy, the fish is at an unfair disadvantage due to its absence of basic task requirements such as lungs and extremities. It is being judged on a standard that in incapable of measuring the abilities of a fish. This quote has a meaning that is applicable to measuring the abilities of high school students. A major factor in a student’s future is his or hers ability to perform well on arbitrary standardized tests. This is the “tree” they must climb in order to achieve future success. Although standardized tests like the SAT have been a way of gauging a student’s ability to learn and retain information for years, they are an inaccurate measurement. Being created over 100 years ago, reconsidering the policy of issuing the SATs is crucial.
The first standardized test in America was issued in 1901, after being created by the College Entrance Examination Board. …show more content…

Despite its respectable attempt, it is an incredibly flawed method. Standardized tests like the SAT serve one purpose: to compare every student on the same scale on a generic series of questions in order to predict how well a student will perform in college. It disregards a student’s past academic achievements, as well as many other factors that will weigh into a student’s performance. According to Gerald Bracey, a writer from Washington Post as well as a critic of the national education policy, a student’s execution in college cannot be determined by a standardized test because these tests do not assess one’s “creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation… [or] self-discipline,” (Strauss,

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In the film the screenwriter splits the movies into two parts to keep it as close to the novel as possible. But every Film has its differences from the book. For example in this case, In the book during Harry’s search for the lost diadem of ravenclaw. he makes an encounter with the Carrow twins. two new characters introduced to the series.

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1398 Words | 6 Pages

Over time, the SAT’s format has changed to better measure a student’s ability and potential. Excessive stress is put on students to do well on the SAT’s, and causes them unnecessary strain. As college admissions become more and more competitive, the need for higher test scores has increased, despite fatal flaws in the SAT test itself. Although the SAT is used by thousands of colleges and taken by millions of students, many students' scores do not reflect their true abilities, and therefore the SAT test is useless.

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1302 Words | 6 Pages

But has the SAT ever truly been a good way to evaluate student’s academic abilities? Many teens do not test well, SAT questions are written in a way confusing to students, and the test is taken in high school, before they are exposed to college material. The number of teens taking the SAT has increased significantly in the past few years, further invalidating the statement that overall scores are

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933 Words | 4 Pages

Death is unavoidable and life’s path can be tricky to navigate. This is shown by Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “Masque of the Red Death”. Prince Prospero is wealthy enough to hide inside his mansion while the Red Death is killing millions right outside his door. The prince hosts a masquerade ball for his wealthy guests and they navigate through the 7 rooms of the mansion. Each one represents a different stage of life.

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267 Words | 2 Pages

The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is an impelling test to get admission in most of the U.S colleges. All high school seniors during the time of December are actively preparing for victory against the four hour strenuous exam, the SAT. The reason is that SAT score determines the fate and dreams of students. Standardized test scores play a crucial role in student’s future as it is believed to address student’s ability to think, reason, and act so that they can be successful in college life. However, SAT is a huge burden to students and is a biased test.

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1304 Words | 6 Pages

In 1942, the SAT was used for all applicants. “In 1948, the SAT was becoming the basic college admission device for millions” (“A Brief History of the SAT”). 80% of schools still require a standardized test score for acceptance (Blaf). However, this percentage is going down and as it does colleges will rely more a grades, which are more precise calculations of

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1241 Words | 5 Pages

The SAT was introduced in 1926 for the college board and was created by Brigham. Originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the SAT has changed the meaning of its name several times. It has also previously been called the Scholastic Assessment Test, SAT 1: Reasoning Test, SAT Reasoning Test, and now finally, the SAT. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board.

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1026 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout the college admission process, one indicator of admittance stands above all, the SAT. The SAT stands for the Scholastic Achievement Test, which serves as the standard of assessment for colleges throughout the United States. Known for its pervasiveness, the SAT provides a comparative standard for students’ abilities. Although the SAT provides such a benefit, the SAT unexpectedly poses as a problem for college admission officers throughout the nation due to its inherent negative aspects, which stir a controversy among the nation. The question arises, should we keep using the SAT for admitting students into college?

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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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935 Words | 4 Pages

In the history of modern colleges, the SAT has been the most widely accepted standardized test by students. The SAT was first introduced in 1926, and since then it has been used by millions of college applicants to demonstrate their academic prowess. Following the creation of the SAT, there have been countless debates on whether it should be scrapped or kept due to its potential to unfairly discriminate against students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and its possible lack of correlation with academic success. Every year, more schools begin to shift toward test-optional, while many schools continue to use mandatory standardized testing. To fully understand and agree on an answer to this debate, extensive research must be done, and students

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1399 Words | 6 Pages

Standardize test are not flawless instruments for precisely pinpointing what level of prior knowledge and learning a student has acquired without first considering other elements that may or may not be connected to what was cultivated. Information on admission test should correlate with educational experiences acquired from school and home; however, that is not always the case considering: (1) socioeconomic background ;( 2) overall mental and physical health ;( 3) sampling variability from other assessments; (4) unidentified error variance; and (5) motivation and drive. These are just some of the essential components require in order to proclaim the SAT and other forms of assessments as sole heir to the thrown of admissions in terms of validity, reliability and

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895 Words | 4 Pages

Standardized tests are very common in today’s modern society. They are used as a tool to measure a person’s performance and indicate how their estimated performance will be in a college class. Every year hundreds of students take the ACT or SAT in order to get accepted into their college of choice and to receive scholarships, but they fail to see the problems with these standardized tests. As more and more people take these tests, the national average score falls causing doubt in the extremely important system. This is leading people to question whether or not the ACT and SATs are accomplishing what they were created to do.

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872 Words | 4 Pages

Many 1800s famous poets, writers, and composers did not have the opportunity to be part of the standardized testing movement; however, they have become successful and memorialized. Our world, especially our country, has focused so much on the standardized tests that they have forgotten the main point to take out of our educational system. They have persuaded college admissions that there’s an easy way to figure out if a student will be successful in their program. Our country has also made it seem that our teachers should focus more on teaching main concepts to prepare their students for tests and not opening their brains in the world of true knowledge and education. Standardized testing is not the easy answer to success.

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1683 Words | 7 Pages

We say we should never judge a book by its cover, a motto that all colleges should follow since their admission process is solely based on a swing vote of a test score (SAT). The SAT also known as the scholastic aptitude test is the most highly regarded test which thousands of students all across the country will have to take once in their high school lifetime. A determinate factor that Colleges use, to determine if a student is a good fit for their university. But how can colleges determine if a student will excel and be successful from their university based on their SAT scores? This very question has posed many arguments saying that colleges should diminished this test as it plays a big role in college application process and gives those who live in economically comfortable families a greater edge over others who aren’t well off.

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935 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the years, standardized testing has become something no student looks forward to. But, there might be deeper reasons as to why they despise it. Standardized tests have been around since the mid-1800s and have been used to measure a students' knowledge and ability to achieve their goals. However, as the year's progress, this form of testing has proven to cause problems. Students, teachers, and schools are all affected by standardized testing and its components in various ways.

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