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Inaccurate Standardized Testing

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Recommended: Arguments made against standardized testing

Standardized Testing: Inaccurate or Adequate?
Standardized testing is a popular tool used by a lot of schools and universities to measure the qualifications of a candidate attempting to enter a program, university, or even a high school. These tests are designed in such a way that they offer a consistent reference to school and university administrators in order to determine whether the applicant has the necessary skills to succeed in future academic endeavors. These tests usually have multiple choice questions and the applicant is awarded a grade based on a point system. Some argue that standardized testing is an inaccurate tool and cannot really measure the intelligence or knowledge of a student. On the other hand, many also argue that these tests are considered an unbiased and objective method to measure a student’s academic ability; and one of the …show more content…

However, they still consider the practice to be the best academic tool at the disposal of educational institutions when searching for adequate candidates. A number of school district administrators argue that standardized tests are the best non-discriminatory and objective academic measurement tools that give everyone an equal chance at finding adequate placement. Michelle Rhee, a former Washington, DC school chancellor, argues that using alternative testing methods or exempting some students from standardized tests creates an unequal system that lacks accountability. Additionally, one popular sentiment is that standardized tests teach students the important skills they need to master for the to be able to achieve academically. According to a 2005 issue of the peer-reviewed Education Policy Analysis Archives, Minnesota school district administrators and teachers said that standardized testing has many positive impacts, those impacts include bettering curricula and elevating student

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804 Words | 4 Pages

All students dread one thing when it comes to school - testing. Standardized test are the main focus in our school systems instead of actually gaining knowledge at the end of the year. As a mother, Michelle Rhee, understands the lack of attention given on education as a whole instead of just waiting on the scores, but she still agrees on continuing with standardized test. Kristina Rizga opposes the opinion of Michelle Rhee as she does not believe standardized test truly measure the intelligence of a student. Kristina Rizga proves her stand against standardized test by utilizing solid use of argumentation.

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1212 Words | 5 Pages

Proponents see standardized testing as a way of making testing more efficient and effective by minimizing cost and increasing people’s accountability for their performance in the system. Opponents on the other hand argue that the systems has limitations based on its very nature on what can be tested and as a result of these standards needing to be met sacrifice some very important aspects of students education experience as well as force onto students and teachers a one size fits all model that has failed to deliver on its promises. After having reviewed all the evidence in detail it becomes clear to me that standardized testing is not an effective system for educating students and does more bad than good

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274 Words | 2 Pages

1,2: For my issue, I plan on addressing the controversy of standardized testing. I believe there would be differing opinions in the audience, some supporting and disagreeing with the topic. Most, if not all students have taken some form of standardized testing, thus, establishing a wide variety of viewpoints. While some believe this form of testing accurately measures a student’s achievement, others think it is an unreliable measure of a student’s performance. 3

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1749 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction Standardized tests may be used for a wide variety of educational purposes. For example, they may be used to determine a young child’s readiness for kindergarten, identify students who need special-education services or specialized academic support, place students in different academic programs or course levels, or award diplomas and other educational certificates. Thesis Statement Standardized tests should not be eliminated completely, but should rather be evaluated in addition to other factors such as grades, extracurricular activities, and volunteer hours. This would take pressure off of students during standardized tests, allow colleges to see how well-rounded the students are, and give students who are better in other areas

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415 Words | 2 Pages

This choice of deciding a person 's entrance or exclusion has its share of supporters. However, the effectiveness of standardized testing is questionable amongst some. Certainly, critics oppose standardized tests with the rationale that they do not accurately measure students ' knowledge, and they are expensive and stressful. For example, envision a high school student that, in terms of academic intelligence, measures far beyond par when it

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1577 Words | 7 Pages

In order to measure students fairly, biases across of different regions and races must be eliminated, along with reducing the number of tests, and eliminating the harsh consequences tied to low test scores (Edwards, “Leaving Tests Behind”). The main supporters of these changes are those directly affected by the results of standardized tests: students, teachers, and other faculty of the school district. Students are most directly effected as they are the ones taking and being graded by the tests. Teachers and school districts are also heavily affected by the standardized tests due to the NCLB accountability program which requires students to reach a specific benchmark score or face the repercussions of possibly having to close the

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1602 Words | 7 Pages

For many years, there has been a great deal of controversies on whether standardized tests should be used for college admissions. Standardized testing started in America over 50 years ago and are today, more pressure-packed and ubiquitous than ever before. The first standardized test was developed in 1959 by Professor Everett Franklin Lindquist. Many admissions counselors depend on a student’s ACT and SAT scores a great deal when determining if they should accept the student or not. Though many feel that these tests are a good thing and should continue to be used, others disagree due to the numerous problems that have been discovered when reviewing students SAT and ACT scores.

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1131 Words | 5 Pages

IV. Standardized Testing is not effective nor reliable due to its inability to effectively measure a student’s intelligence or ability, the pressure it applies to both the student and the teacher, and its negative impact on teaching curriculum. (To begin, let’s look at how testing gauges students) Body I. Standardized testing is not an accurate means to measure a student’s ability or

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206 Words | 1 Pages

Some educators say that the use of standardized tests should be increased because there are many professional fields where it is necessary to test a person’s knowledge in order to examine individuals for a position. According to Donald McAdams, “Physicians, lawyers, accountants, financial planners, real-estate brokers, and pilots all take high-stakes tests. These tests ensure that professionals have the knowledge necessary to serve the public well” (“Is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America"). While tests may be effective in certain professions, standardized tests can be an ineffective to measure a student’s academic performance. Standardized tests cover a broad area of diverse subjects while high-stakes test focus on

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3389 Words | 14 Pages

These limitations highlight the need for an alternative form of assessment that can capture a more diverse set of student learning outcomes. As such, the narrow focus of standardized testing may lead to an ineffective evaluation approach, which undermines the goal of education or prepares students for success in various contexts. While standardized tests offer a perspective of student performance in a limited number of areas, they should not be relied upon as the core measure of student

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682 Words | 3 Pages

Standardized Testing: Is it Good or Bad? How would you feel sitting in a room for an eternity filling in millions of tiny bubbles? This is what students feel from third though twelfth grade thanks to Standardized Testing. Standardized tests are bad because they do not demonstrate a student’s level of intelligence or true knowledge base but instead demonstrate their ability to take a test.

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1690 Words | 7 Pages

Standardized Tests Are Put to the Test "Believing we can improve schooling with more tests is like believing you can make yourself grow taller by measuring your height," said by Robert Schaeffer, Public Education Director of FairTest. This paints a clear picture of one of today’s most talked about education questions; are standardized tests benificial for our nation’s education? A standardized test is a test that requires all test takers to answer the same questions. As a result, the tests are scored in a consistant manner, meaning a student’s test results can be compared with another group of students. These tests are most commonly seen as a multiple choice test that are given to a large population of students.

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1191 Words | 5 Pages

School’s are using standardized testing for the wrong reason. “A standardized test is any examination that’s administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner. There are two major kinds of standardized tests: aptitude tests and achievement tests” (Popham, 1999). The most common examples of aptitude tests are the SAT and the

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2324 Words | 10 Pages

Standardized Testing: Beneficial or Not? As famous comedian John Oliver expressed, “Standardized tests: the fastest way to terrify any child with five letters outside of just one whisper of the word, ‘clown’” (Oliver 0:06-0:12). Those who support standardized tests believe that they have established a universal standard to measure student progress and ensure accountability.

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1098 Words | 5 Pages

A standardized test, according to W. James Popham of ASCD.org, is “any examination that is administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner.” In standardized testing, examinees are instructed to precisely answer a specific set of questions, which are usually multiple-choices. Although standardized testing is believed to be an objective method to grade students, administers should understand that these tests are not only a waste of time, but also a waste of money. Standardized testing is irrelevant to a student’s education because it is an unreliable way to measure a student’s knowledge, causes stress, and hinders a student’s overall learning potential.

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