Controversy Of Standardized Testing

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? In America, this happens every day. Although many people believe standardized testing is a justified way of measuring intelligence and grading students, a growing number of people in America feel that standardized test taking is biased, inaccurate, and an ineffective way of measuring student intelligence.

Some parents

“...Performance on standardized tests depends on the quality of the individual school system, material covered in classes and financial status- all of which can be considered unfair advantages” (Kokoszka 1). Schools with more funding may have students do better on tests (Kokoszka 1). “...there are many unfair advantages present…” (Kokoszka 2). If a student could afford it, a tutor could be hired to give that student an edge over others taking the standardized tests.(Kokoszka 2). Testing is biased, so that only those who are more financially stable or with more resources will get higher scores. This is also shown in Kohn’s data, saying, “Research has repeatedly found that the amount of poverty in the communities...along with other variables having nothing to do with what happens in classrooms, accounts for the great majority of difference in test scores from one are to the next.”

Shouldn’t all students have an equal shot? “Colleges do not incorporate the resources used to achieve standardized test scores; therefore students are compared in ineffective ways.” (Kokoszka 2). Testing and reviewing student’s scores and grades may not accurately show how well schools are doing in educating students (Kohn 4). This process may make it harder to accurately see how students are doing, and whether or not students are at the same level if one has an amazing tutor. Many believe that standardized testing may have even started as a way to show the achievement gap between students of different races. “During the 1960’s, more civil rights advocates began to argue that widespread, easily comparable data was necessary in order to make visible the achievement gap between black and white and poor and middle-class children…” (Goldstein). This data is comparable, but it is evident that it’s first purpose was to be biased against students. Bias is a huge concern for many, as it is more known than ever nowadays how hard other ethnicities have to work in order to be respected and sometimes even considered equal. Furthermore, “...only 14 states attempt to equalize funding between public schools in poor and efficient