Cons Of Standardized Testing Essay

Collateral Damage of Standardized Testing State mandated standardized testing has become a way of life for teachers and students alike in the recent years. “The No Child Left Behind era has seen a huge expansion of standardized testing and misuse of tests” (How Standardized Testing Damages Education). Schools use tests to guide curriculum, teaching, and promotion. Although there are certain benefits of the testing system, the cons heavily outweigh the pros. The failing system that is in place in most schools is harming students, teachers, and the future generations to come. “The average student in America’s big-city schools takes some 112 mandatory standardized tests between pre-kindergarten and the end of twelfth grade - an average of about eight a year.” (Strauss) FairTest explains who is most often hurt by these testing practices; students from low-income and minority-group backgrounds, English language learners, and students with disabilities, are more likely to be denied diplomas, retained in grade, placed in a lower track, or unnecessarily put in remedial education programs. There are hundreds of articles and research showing these harmful effects of the overload of testing in U.S. public schools. Harmful testing policies also raise questions about it hindering teaching practices. All research points

Some critics say that the money we spend in testing each year could be used, instead, to better our schools and salaries of educators. “The National Education Association (NEA) has argued that funds spent on testing could be “better spent on high-quality early childhood education, health care, after-school programs, and support services” (Chingos). This raises legitimate concerns that should be addressed and many parents are demanding answers as to why we spend so much of an education budget in one place.