Persuasive Essay On Standardized Testing

Millions of kids around the country are grumbling and clutching their number two pencils, getting ready to face another long session of sitting in a class, bubbling in scantrons for standardized testing. In Midwestern school districts students in grades 3-8 spend an average of 19 days for standardized testing and test prep. In Eastern school districts six weeks out of the school year are dedicated to standardized testing and test prep. Standardized testing is now used more often to determine where students will be placed for the rest of their educational careers. Not only does testing cause a great deal of stress, the prepping for the tests and waiting for the scores is equally stressful. The excessive stress robs away the students’ carefree childhood and

From the time of entering kindergarten to graduating high school each student will be taking over 60 standardized tests, and does not include optional assessments for students, like Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests, or college boards such as the ACT and SAT. More than 240 hours of a student’s precollege academic career is occupied by sitting in a classroom bubbling in scantrons. The CAP (Center for American Progress) undertook a study to find out how much students spend taking standardized tests. The report found, “Students are tested as frequently as twice per month and an average of once per month. Our analysis found that students take as many as 20 standardized assessments per year and an average of 10 tests in grades 3-8. The regularity with which testing occurs, especially in these grades, may be causing students, families, and educators to feel burdened by testing,” (American Progress). With 180 school days in a year and each day being an average of 6 hours and 20 minutes it is unnecessary to take away our children's childhoods by stuffing their time with standardized testing and