In the words of Albert Einstein, "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by it's ability to ride a bike, it will live its whole life believing it's stupid." In the United States, standardized testing has been the hallmark of K-12 education since its beginning in World War I. Modern-day standardized tests, such as the ACT and SAT, originate from the 1940s, a period of time that catered to one’s ability to assimilate and work an industrial job rather than today’s environment that praises one’s ability to form individual thoughts. This form of testing has been the standard since then, even though education as a whole has advanced far past the point of memorization. The modern-day culprit for the standardized tests students receive, however, is the No Child Left Behind Act. Among other harsh guidelines, the NCLB requires that states conduct annual standardized testing for reading and math from third through eighth grade. Additionally, testing must occur one more time between grades 10 and 12. Science tests are also mandated, although these are administered less often. …show more content…
Firstly, it is common to assume that standardized testing began completely with this federal legislation. However, many states already had their own testing systems in place by the time the NCLB was put into effect. Furthermore, it is important to note the fact the Common Core, a relatively new system of education that focuses on teaching the basics of Math, Science and Communication Arts, did not originate at the same time as the NCLB. As the Common Core stands today, it is simply another addition of standardization that comes along with the NCLB, and that is where the controversy of it all begins. Is all of this legislation and standardization necessary or beneficial to K-12