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Pros And Cons Of The Fairness Of Standardized Testing Act

1399 Words6 Pages

As a direct result of public mistrust and a concern about the fairness of standardize testing, a bill was introduced known as H.R.4949 “Educational Testing Act of 1979”. This legislation was put forth and went into effect in both California and New York. The bill was introduced by Rep.Ted Weiss (D-NY), with the support of Rep.Shirley Chisholm (D-NY) and Rep.George Miller (D-CA). According to Wicklund (1980) the bill was created to address the fairness of college and university admission test by: refining the responsibility of the test manufacturers; to create less biased assessments and allow access by the public and expert researchers; to decrease the benefits of prep schools by having previous test open to the general public; to improve the …show more content…

Opponents of H.R. 4949 bill claimed that standardize test were fair and valid predictor of postsecondary success, especially during the first year of college for all students. They argued that the differences that persistently created a gap in scores was due mainly because of disparities in American culture and could not be attributed to biased test. They also believed that this would create unfair advantages for students with the socioeconomic means to seek educational alternative measures which would further increase the difference in test scores amongst the minority and majority. New criteria would have to be relied upon in order for admission officers to determine who was accepted and who was rejected. Critics also stressed the fact that test cost would essentially increase, and would limit the availability of …show more content…

Standardize test are not flawless instruments for precisely pinpointing what level of prior knowledge and learning a student has acquired without first considering other elements that may or may not be connected to what was cultivated. Information on admission test should correlate with educational experiences acquired from school and home; however, that is not always the case considering: (1) socioeconomic background ;( 2) overall mental and physical health ;( 3) sampling variability from other assessments; (4) unidentified error variance; and (5) motivation and drive. These are just some of the essential components require in order to proclaim the SAT and other forms of assessments as sole heir to the thrown of admissions in terms of validity, reliability and

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The Argument Against Standardized Testing In Texas

1597 Words | 7 Pages

The state of Texas has been in a constant struggle within itself over just how to evaluate education, and standardized testing in Texas has been a major influencer in terms of the state’s standards for over thirty years. Though these methods of testing have been utilized for decades, resentment to the tests have been continuously rising among educators, parents, and students, but not everyone agrees. Despite government officials trying to quell these protests with changes to administration, and the way the test itself is formatted and formulated, there seems to have been little to no improvement made and those opposing the tests have started calling for an end to all standardized testing. For one to truly understand this ongoing struggle, one must first look at standardized testing’s beginning, then how government today is trying to fix the broken system, and finally consider the opinions of notable figures in the testing world.

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Unfair Standardized Testing

1776 Words | 8 Pages

Standardized Testing: Making College Admissions “Fair” Every year , the daunting prospect of undergoing standardized testing brings anxiety to thousands of high school students, and for good reason: a student’s performance on standardized college admission exams - most importantly, the ACT and SAT - is a major determinant in deciding where they will go to college. For decades, such standardized tests have been universally accepted as part of the admissions process: proponents argue, as Syverson (2007) explains, that such tests are the only way of standardizing college admissions when students from different schools have such widely varying profiles. However, in the past several decades a growing anti-testing movement has begun to poke holes

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Thesis Statement: The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

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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Disadvantages Of Standardized Testing In The United States

1352 Words | 6 Pages

Over two hundred parents claim to not let a student go through standardized testing. The earliest records of standardized testing come from China, for the subjects of philosophy and poetry. America “copied” the European education system. In the early 20th century, immigrants took “standardized tests”. To determine possible career and where each person stood socially.

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Should Standardized Testing Be Required

894 Words | 4 Pages

Standardized tests are one of the most popular ways schools attempt to evaluate academic intelligence of students, school districts, and teachers. These tests are used more specifically to evaluate student performance in the education system by testing their abilities in mathematics, english and sciences. By giving every student the same test, they are setting a standard idea for how well every student should score on the test, such as the SAT or the ACT, no matter the school or educational process they are receiving. Allowing every student to take the exact same test, gives the state a way to generalize student’s academic intelligence without having to do much work to make the testing one hundred percent fair. Standardized testing in schools should no longer be required because it discriminates against the less wealthy families, does not effectively measure achievement and becomes a distraction to the student’s learning environment.

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Standardized Testing Flaws

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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Pros And Cons Of No Child Left Behind Act

820 Words | 4 Pages

With this law, the Americans schools are forced to pressure their students to progressively improve their test scores if they do not wish to lose the aid that the Federal Government gives. This act has fallen in much criticism due to many reasons, such as its’ questionable use of power by Congress and the President, and obligatory standardized testing, which has been seen as being unfair and also misleading. The

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Arguments Against Standardized Testing Essay

1602 Words | 7 Pages

Many feel that the tests are unfair and this is why standardized

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Standardized Testing Research Paper

895 Words | 4 Pages

Standardized tests are very common in today’s modern society. They are used as a tool to measure a person’s performance and indicate how their estimated performance will be in a college class. Every year hundreds of students take the ACT or SAT in order to get accepted into their college of choice and to receive scholarships, but they fail to see the problems with these standardized tests. As more and more people take these tests, the national average score falls causing doubt in the extremely important system. This is leading people to question whether or not the ACT and SATs are accomplishing what they were created to do.

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Arguments Against Standardized Testing

501 Words | 3 Pages

“Sometimes the most brilliant and intelligent minds do not shine in standardized tests because they do not have standardized minds.” This quotation by Diane Ravitch nearly perfectly describes the ludicrosity of modern standardized tests. Students may achieve elite grades, volunteer, and participate in a variety of extracurriculars throughout high school, but all of these elements may be for naught if their ACT or SAT score is deemed unsatisfactory. The college application process is demanding enough without the added burden of inessential and unfair standardized tests. The ACT and SAT may put unnecessary stress on high schoolers, because they are an unfair representation of intelligence and education and are a large element of the college admission process.

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Standardized Testing Persuasive Essay

1536 Words | 7 Pages

Even if the tests were unfair it would not be as much of a problem if the tests helped us at all. Despite the tests having been in place for over 50 years, their implementation has not increased America’s scores on an international level. But of course, some are going to disagree as people always do. Those who disagree say that the tests help to determine who will do well in college. An edited volume, Defending Standardized Testing, edited by Richard Phelps, was created on the basis that standardized tests have benefits for students and teachers.

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Arguments Against Standardized Tests

1147 Words | 5 Pages

Standardized Tests Should one bad day affect how an individual’s life might turn out to be in the long run? Students are waiting eagerly for the dreadful moment the mailman arrives with their test results. An academic future is contrived through years of dedication and passionate motivation towards a successful life. For years the ACT’s have been sprouting many heated debates. Many began to question whether it was equitable to use the results of one test to define one’s whole academic ability throughout their school years.

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The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Test Scores

1793 Words | 8 Pages

In a study performed by William Hiss, former Dean of Admissions at Bates College (B.A., M.T.S., M.A., and Ph.D.), it was found that out of 123,000 students at 33 public and private institutions, 30% of students were admitted to college without SAT/ACT scores. Of those students, there was no difference in Grade Point Average (GPA) or graduation rates between students that did or did not submit scores (Hiss 23). Standardized tests are stressful assessments that can potentially determine the rest of a nervous, anxiety-ridden student’s life. The tests were originally created in the 1930’s, and their sole purpose was to determine scholarship applicability for students at Ivy League schools (Sheffer). The tests had no weight in determining acceptance

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The Pros And Cons Of The SAT Standards

1336 Words | 6 Pages

Hypothetically, one of the students is wealthier than the other making it easier to practice and prepare for the SAT. Both students worked equally as hard but just because one is able to afford tutoring does not mean he or she should get accepted over a student with identical criteria. The SAT limits students from attending top schools. Another argument test supporters make is that standardized testing makes for good preparation for test in the future. Whether it may be the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, or MCAT, advocates believe that it is good preparation for these big exams graduates must take to earn their degree.

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Standardized Testing Persuasive Essay

610 Words | 3 Pages

Some people believe that we should not cut the funding for standardized testing and still included standardized testing on college applications. Universities use these test scores to,”...help compare students from different high schools. Your scores show your strengths and readiness for college work” (College Board). This is a really efficient way for colleges to differ between students in their acceptance processes, if schools take away this testing, than colleges will have a hard time telling difference in students, and it will make their acceptance process harder. Therefore, many colleges will not want these standardized tests eliminated, although, it will benefit many

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