ipl-logo

Arguments Against Standardized Testing

1053 Words5 Pages

Colleges and universities should not use academic success as the main factor in determining college admission because studies indicate that there is practically no difference in the scholastic performance of those who do and do not submit test scores. However, there is considerable evidence that multiple-choice tests and their scores, for some applicants, conceal more information about the applicant than they reveal. In this essay, I will discuss whether or not academic success should be the main determining factor in college admissions. I will also provide a personal opinion on the subject. Critics of standardized testing in college admissions say that standardized tests are no longer as good of an indicator of college success as once thought. The arguments against standardized testing indicate that testing is biased against certain groups, adds stress to both educators and students and impedes the assessment of very important skills. They adamantly believe that these tests have become, for some students at least, barriers to …show more content…

They also believe that this strongly biased .… at a time when diversity is critical to our society. In their opinion, wealthy students are essentially more prepared for standardized tests through better life experiences, such as first class schools and test prep tutors. These opponents also support the notion that testing adds too much stress to student and teachers alike. They suggest that students spend a lot of time stressing over the SAT/ACT when they could be focusing their energy on more important academic and social activities that could benefit them in the future. Lastly, those opposed to academic success as the main determining factor, believes that testing inhibits any sort of creative or unconventional thinking. This is important because this type of skill needed in college and in the

Show More
Related

Unfair Standardized Testing

1776 Words | 8 Pages

Standardized Testing: Making College Admissions “Fair” Every year , the daunting prospect of undergoing standardized testing brings anxiety to thousands of high school students, and for good reason: a student’s performance on standardized college admission exams - most importantly, the ACT and SAT - is a major determinant in deciding where they will go to college. For decades, such standardized tests have been universally accepted as part of the admissions process: proponents argue, as Syverson (2007) explains, that such tests are the only way of standardizing college admissions when students from different schools have such widely varying profiles. However, in the past several decades a growing anti-testing movement has begun to poke holes

Read More

Argumentative Essay: Should The SAT Get Paid?

1026 Words | 5 Pages

While the argument presents a great benefit for colleges across the united states, the testing scores fail to do justice to students because the scores do not represent the actual skills that the students need to succeed in college. To clarify, the SAT, particularly in the math section, tests students by how quick they can substitute an answer choice for a variable in the problem and not by how the students can critically think about a solution for a question. Therefore, the SAT fails as a proper indicator of skills necessary for success in college. In addition, this disadvantage in sat testing overwhelms the benefits that sat testing

Read More

Why The SAT Should Not Be Abolished

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

Read More

Thesis Statement: The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

1749 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction Standardized tests may be used for a wide variety of educational purposes. For example, they may be used to determine a young child’s readiness for kindergarten, identify students who need special-education services or specialized academic support, place students in different academic programs or course levels, or award diplomas and other educational certificates. Thesis Statement Standardized tests should not be eliminated completely, but should rather be evaluated in addition to other factors such as grades, extracurricular activities, and volunteer hours. This would take pressure off of students during standardized tests, allow colleges to see how well-rounded the students are, and give students who are better in other areas

Read More

Standardized Testing Research Paper

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.

Read More

Arguments Against Standardized Testing

475 Words | 2 Pages

The SAT’s are not a structurally sound assessment to be used for college admissions. In Kohn’s piece he states, “Standardized tests tend to measure the temporary acquisition of facts and skills, including the skill of test taking itself, more than genuine understanding” (Kohn 601). The standardized tests that are supposed to measure intelligence, actually measure a student’s ability to take a test. Everybody has a different level of intellect, especially in many

Read More

Arguments Against Standardized Testing

1604 Words | 7 Pages

The opportunity to learn is not given equally, and standardized test, including the SAT, reflects this. If one believes that opportunities are given equally to all and scores differ still, then it leaves room for discriminate against certain underperforming groups, labeling them as "not as intelligent" as others. Standardized testing uses other than college admissions include to advance grade levels, to evaluate schools, or to evaluate teachers. Although standardized tests have many uses in various fields, they all still have the same issues with bias. William G. Cunningham and Tiffany D. Sanzo comment, “All students cannot be held to the same standards unless programs and initiatives are developed to level the playing field.

Read More

Arguments Against Standardized Testing

730 Words | 3 Pages

According to Phillip Harris, Joan Harris and Bruce Smith, “Gerald Bracey's (an American education policy researcher) lists some of the biggies that are generally not measured in standardized tests: creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, curiosity, endurance, reliability, enthusiasm, empathy, self-awareness, self-discipline, leadership, civic-mindedness, courage, compassion, resourcefulness, sense of beauty, sense of wonder, honesty, and integrity.” If all of these attributes that reflect success are not tested, why are standardized tests, such as SAT and ACT, so important towards college acceptance? These college entry exams inadvertently create reasons for students to be superficial thinkers and ignore the characteristics that lead to success. According to Popham, “Between 50 and 80 percent of what was measured on the Final Course Exam tests was not suitably addressed in the classroom textbook’s.” Not only are students not being tested on the attributes of success but they are also, for the most part, not being tested on what they are learning in the classroom.

Read More

SAT Argument Essay

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.

Read More

Arguments Against Standardized Testing

890 Words | 4 Pages

More populated schools that are in big cities have students that can pay for a tutor if they feel that they are falling behind in class. In the smaller or poorer schools can’t do that because nor the families or the school has enough money to pay for the tutors. This shows that the Standardized Tests are bad for small schools and

Read More

Arguments Against Standardized Testing

783 Words | 4 Pages

For millions of students around the world their SAT scores help them to determine where they go to university. They can either benefit or hinder their college applications and make a big difference in their admission to college. Many people argue whether or not high school students should take the SAT and if it really predicts future success. In recent years, even some competitive universities have gone test optional. SAT scores have been shown to be effective in predicting a student's future performance in academic future.

Read More

Controversy Of Standardized Testing

1859 Words | 8 Pages

The Controversy of Standardized Testing Students everywhere take standardized tests. However, are they truly beneficial to the students? Are these tests capable of showing what students can really do? Or, are they biased against the test-taker, making it harder to reach his or her goals? Is it fair to base a student’s intelligence on one simple test grade that that student might have had a disadvantage in?

Read More

Arguments Against Standardized Testing

1529 Words | 7 Pages

The SAT is a test that is used to determine if a school will accept the student in the college or not. It may be unfair to base on a single test but some may say it is necessary to determine a student’s

Read More

Standardized Testing Argumentative Essay

1353 Words | 6 Pages

The SAT/ACT is a very important test. These tests help determine a student’s eligibility in college and depict their overall success rate in college and beyond. However, many people, including Mike Penn, a graduate at MIT believes that, “grades are statistically the most reliable predictor of future academic success” (Penn #2). Penn believes that students arrive at college ill-prepared, with shallow educations.

Read More

ACT Vs SAT Essay

1888 Words | 8 Pages

The ACT stands for American College Testing; the test measures the students’ abilities to preform well on four subjects: Math, Reading, Science, and English. Similarly, the SAT stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test; it measures students’ abilities to perform well Reading, English, and Math. However, how accurately do these tests measure student’s performance in college? Are they good predictors of student’s future? Some researchers argue that these assessments do not measure the capability of a student.

Read More

More about Arguments Against Standardized Testing

Related Topics

Open Document