Downfall Of Standardized Testing Essay

The Downfall of Standardized Testing

Adccording to a recent report, “42% of ACT-tested graduates in the class of 2022 met none of the subject benchmarks in English, reading, science, and math, which are indicators of how well students are expected to perform in corresponding college courses” (“ACT Test Scores” par. 3). In 2022, “ACT scores were at an average of 19.8, which were the lowest they had been in 30 years” (“ACT Test Scores” par. 1). The school system has failed students by allowing teachers to “teach the test” rather than teach students how to understand and comprehend the material. Therefore, standardized tests are an unfair way to measure a student’s academic performance because of outside factors, the impacts of high-stakes testing,

Attributes like creativity, critical-thinking, and resourcefulness are not being analyzed in a standardized test. James Popham, an emeritus professor of UCLA, argues, “employing standardized achievement tests to ascertain educational quality is like measuring temperature with a tablespoon” (par. 19). Standardized testing is useless in measuring students’ knowledge and growth. Another factor that affects test scores is the actual test format itself. When students are given a test with fifty multiple choice questions, the number of questions can be quite overwhelming. Julia Cusick, Vice President of Communications at American Progress, states, “today’s state standardized tests require students to sit for eight to nine hours total, in two-hour segments” (par. 8). Students need to move around and refocus their mind on the topic of interest rather than going over countless pages of practice problems for an hour and a half of class time. They also fail to adhere to students who learn in different ways. People learn visually, auditory, read/write, or kinesthetic, and tests do not take these differences into consideration. The tests are shaped around the culture, school, and population, when they need to be shaped around the students themselves. High-stakes testing can also affect a teacher’s mental health. The Association of Texas Profession Educators reported, “some of our best teachers are leaving the field, and those who stay often become defensive and competitive. Demands on teachers that their students perform well are so intense that some teachers have resorted to cheating or turning against their students” (“The Tornadic Effect” par. 3). Teachers tend to lose their sense of creativity and love for school because of endless testing. Although many people say teachers can implement activities with colors and pictures to