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Diane Ravitch's The Essentials Of A Good Education

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Intelligence is not standard anymore. In fact, few schools truly understand how to effectively teach a variety of students the curriculum for their future careers. Therefore, to encompass every student’s needs, schools feel obligated to prepare students to be ready for college and their careers. To receive funding, the state requires the implementation of standardized tests in the schools. Naive policy makers believe it is essential to prepare for an exponential amount of time for these tests; however, unbeknownst to these policy makers that the outcome of the students through this rigid system is not actually preparing students for their future; consequently, it just forces students to barely survive school without getting much benefits out …show more content…

Students begin to be treated, awarded or disciplined, as a grade, not by applying what they learn to everyday life. Funding should improve the school, not to blame budget cuts for deterring students of resources to help brainstorm for themselves and apply themselves to different forms of learning through the arts and other classes that are not graded. Furthermore, the standardized testing’s main purpose is for the funding, but why have funds if the students are not growing? In her essay, “The Essentials of a Good Education,” educational historian and policy analyst Diane Ravitch utilizes logos and criticism to develop a claim that breaking away from solely preparing for standardized testing, which has become synonymous with intelligence tests, is the only way for a school to be truly beneficial is by not letting budget cuts discriminate from the arts, listening to affluent parents and comparing it to the schools today, and determining what education should truly be applying to enhance the community. Moreover, standardized tests are determining basic intelligence; therefore, schools should focus on a variety of interests, but these tests eliminate the possibility for this to …show more content…

It makes sense to feel obligated to fall on budget cuts and have standardized tests, but it has been continuing to go on for centuries. Ravitch uses the Economic recession of 2008 where budget cuts were crucial. With the focus on No Child Left Behind, “The federal law demanded that all students be proficient in mathematics and reading by 2014, and every state was required to test those subjects.” As schools begin to lose money, only mathematics and reading is necessary and the schools switched to focusing on practices for standardized tests. Although this is logical, the funding never became sufficient enough for classes that were not tested to return to schools. Schools are deemed superior if the students received high test scores on the standardized tests, even if it is the school’s primary focus. Logically, the students are not actually learning so the school is not actually fulfilling the educational needs of the students. Even after budget cuts, schools spend excessive amounts of time and money on preparation for the tests, cutting back

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If you were to change something about the education system in the U.S, what would you change? How would you critique the quality of education? Education historian Diane Ravitch answers these questions in her excerpt that was published in 2014, “The Essentials of a Good Education.” In her text Ravitch argues that the education system is flawed and that the vision of a good education is unfair and unequal. Ravitch supports her claim by providing examples of the negative effects of the educational system and using historical context.

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Levine claims that schools are starting to expand the quality of the student body by the rate of the students standardized test (22). Colleges are not looking to get students who do not apply themselves, but also, colleges are making it harder for the poor students that are trying to better their education. Along the same lines, Graff reminds us of the competition of comparing test scores in school (249). Graff explains, in school scores are made up by one’s reading ability, instead of, like in sports, the actual competition itself or arguing (249). Overall schools are using test scores as a way to compete with education instead of looking out for the best interests of the

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Ever since the first American schools were established in the 17th century, millions of students have been enrolled in the public schooling system since then. However, since the years have passed, the main focus on schooling has been shifted. What once was a place to learn and build upon already acquired knowledge has turned into a setting of extravagant tests. The American public schooling system’s prioritization of standardized testing wastes classroom time, does not teach students the required life skills they need to succeed in life, causes unhealthy stress and is not an accurate measurement of student progress.

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However, many of the teachers disagree with the government’s form of standardized testing. Many believe that these test are pointless and should not be what measures a student’s intelligence. One teacher such as Jesse Hagopian stated that standardized tests don’t “…cultivate the type of thinking we need, and it doesn’t bring in the resources that we need to make students successful.” (Rich 1). It was later found that there was a connection between teacher pay and student standardized test results.

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Imagine observing a classroom of students, heads down, furiously working against the clock to fill in bubbles on their Scantrons. Anxiety and pressure permeate the atmosphere of the classroom, for the students realize the seriousness of standardized tests. An ethical dilemma affecting my community is one that pertains to America’s education system. The trouble is that through Common Core curriculum and extreme emphasis on test scores, students are taught to conform, and their individual strengths are often stifled. This is limiting the success of America’s students, and therefore, limiting America’s future as a whole.

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Standard testing is a very controversial and important subject because it deals with the progression of the American education system. The practice of these assessments has been highly scrutinized not only for the way it has changed the format of classrooms, but also for its accuracy, pressure, and abundance. In 2001, standardized testing became federally mandated through the No Child Left Behind Act by former president George Bush Jr. According to research from the Council of the Great City Schools, students have been taking “an average of 113 tests from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade” (K. Hefling). These numbers have increased to the point where parents have opted for their children to not attend standardized exams.

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“Education is the engine that drives the American dream.” Every subject through education, though, is not created equal. In 2014, it was made law for every state to test students in math and reading. This puts less emphasis on other subjects like history, science, and fine arts. The article “The Essentials of a Good Education,” by Diane Ravitch, illustrates how teachers and administrators often push students to buy into this concept, because the students’ test scores are supposed to correlate to the teacher's’ teaching ability.

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Jefferson High School not only messed up the student’s schedule but also messed up and caused an interruption in their learning. Teachers/Counselors aren’t the only ones to blame for the interruption in a student's learning. Standardized Test also play a huge role in why students going to school that are in impoverished communities are wasting their time instead of learning. “ Standardized test do not improve student achievement… Instruction time is being consumed by monotonous test preparation” (procon.org).

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Holding School districts, teachers, and students accountable through the process of standardized testing has not improved the nation’s educational status, but worsened it. Students are now being “taught to the test” , and instead of acquiring knowledge they are acquiring the

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One of the arguments about state testing is how state standardized tests affect the amount of money that school is given based on how many students pass. The more students who pass the test help get the school more money and the more students who fail prevent the school from getting the money it needs.  Standardized tests exist for administrative, political, and financial purposes, not for educational ones. Because the amount of kids passing or lack thereof affects the amount of money that school is funding, that becomes the sole priority for these teachers and/or administrators

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Participants communicated that they felt it will take more than holding schools accountable for test results and rejected the “one-size-fits-all” approach (Lefkowits & Miller, 2006). In addition, there was a general sense that school communities must share responsibility and more resources must be provided for success (Lefkowits & Miller, 2006). Lefkowits and Miller (2006) say concerning assessment and accountability specifically, policy makers and the general public understand these concepts very differently. Standardized testing does not provide the full view of student achievement and does not really answer what parents want to know about student performance (Lefkowits and Miller, 2006). Funding, disciplinary issues, student-teacher ratios, and narrowing of the curriculum where also hot topics with participants, none of which are address by the current standards

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According to The New York Times, “Standardized tests became the be-all and end-all of education, and states spent billions on them” (Ravitch). School districts are paying unnecessary amounts of money in order to prepare students for tests, and in order for them to take the tests that are required under these standards. School districts should be focusing their resources on the core subjects of math, reading, history, and science instead of materials to take and prepare students for bleak and repetitive standardized tests. According to the FreedomWorks Foundation, “Common Core will cost taxpayers a lot of money while not improving education quality” (Borowski). Standardized tests required by Common Core are an unfunded mandate, which will require taxpayers to cover the unruly cost.

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“Between pre-K and 12th grade, students took about 112 mandatory standardized exams. The study analyzed the time spent actually taking the tests, but it did not include the hours devoted to preparation ahead of the testing required by the federal government, states or local districts. It also did not include regular day-to-day classroom quizzes and tests in reading, math, science, foreign languages and more.” (Study Reveals How Many 1). This illustrates that students are being taught to learn what is on the test, not what they actually need to

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Standardized testing has become one of the most popular types of testing in U.S. public schools to date. Students take numerous standardized tests throughout their childhood schooling. (Studies show that a typical student takes an average of 112 mandated standardized tests between Pre-K and 12th grade.) While standardized testing is one of the main procedures that Universities use to judge incoming students, it is not proven to be the most effective way to convey a student’s actual intelligence level. The U.S. should not focus so heavily on standardized testing because it is not a complete accurate measurement of a student’s intelligence.

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