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High Stakes Testing Essay

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Recommended: Effects of high stakes testing

Nicolas Wiyono
Ms. Gaylord
English 10
13 July 2023

The Limitations of High-Stakes Testing Towards Students' Skills and Mental Health

High-stakes testing has become a widely used method to assess students' skills and compare their academic abilities. These tests refer to assessments or exams that have significant consequences for students in educational systems. These tests typically carry high stakes because they heavily influence important decisions, such as student promotion, graduation, college admissions, or school funding. Although high-stakes testing provides a standardized way to compare student performance across schools, the pressure to perform well on these tests can lead to heightened stress and anxiety, which can negatively impact …show more content…

Standardized tests may harbor inherent cultural, socioeconomic, and linguistic biases that disadvantage certain student populations. Students from diverse backgrounds may face barriers in test design and content that prevent them from demonstrating their true abilities. Furthermore, the reliance on standardized measures can perpetuate educational inequities by favoring students who are already privileged. Grace Tatter, a digital content creator at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, claims “Stress and its effect on the brain might be one reason that students from low-income neighborhoods tend to fare worse on high-stakes tests” (Tatter, 2019). High-stakes testing should be critically evaluated to address its potential biases and ensure fair and accurate comparisons of students' …show more content…

This can include performance-based assessments, portfolios, projects, presentations, and teacher observations. For example, by implementing portfolio-based evaluation systems where students collect samples of their work over time to demonstrate their learning and growth. Portfolios can include diverse pieces of evidence, such as essays, projects, artwork, and reflections, offering a holistic representation of students' abilities and progress. And by emphasizing the use of performance-based assessments that require students to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world scenarios. Performance-based assessments provide a more authentic and comprehensive measure of students

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Exploratory Paper: Is Standardized Testing Bad? Standardized testing has been around in one form or the other for centuries based on historical data which shows its use way back in imperial China and was used to determine the strengths and talents of individuals so that they could be effectively used in the emperor’s service. In the 19th century Great Britain introduced standardized testing to its’ territories and eventually Europe. The United States introduced standard testing to its citizens in the late 20th century and has rapidly integrated this testing tool into the nation’s public school system.

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As a result, some schools are finding it tough to score above average on these test giving teachers no option, but to focus solely on learning outcomes that meet high stake test requirements. Additionally, students with low test score were always pressured by their teacher to achieve high test, scores and when they did not produce higher results, some educator, believed, if they punished the student they would become more serious with schooling and work hard to avoid the pressure or humiliating punishments (Hurley, 2007). I used to be an advocate of high stakes testing, but now I oppose high stakes testing sine I have seen first hand myself the damage it does to a student. Also, I several educators and professional use high stakes test results as a single indicator for measuring a person's competence or determining their future outcome, even though research has proven these tests is highly

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