No Child Left Behind has been the center of controversy since it was instated twelve years ago. Now that the act is up for potential reinstatement, society is questioning the rigorous testing that can largely be attributed it. Testing has been a part of students lives for decades, but now parents are questioning the need for so many tests. The parents are boycotting these tests across the country using the “Opt Out” option for their students. This raises the question on whether these tests should be outlawed. Exams should not be outlawed because since No Child Left Behind was passed test scores have been improving, and this is what allows schools to track growth throughout the years. Though the quantity of testing is a significant issue. Exams …show more content…
Students are tested every year from third grade until eighth grade and once in high school because of national testing standards. Though states and districts can choose to layer on other tests in addition to these mandated ones. Research from the the Council of the Great City Schools indicates “Students [take] an average of 113 standardized tests over the course of their k-12 careers.” (Matheson). If a student was to take a standardized test only from first grade until graduation that would be at least nine tests a year every year. These number do not include the weekly pop quizzes and end of unit tests, or midterms or finals. These numbers most definitely do not include the AP Exams or SAT 2s, or extra testing for gifted students. Think about it, that is a lot of tests. The number of exams distract students from learning other things in school. Lyndsey Layton of the Washington Post asserts “Students in 11th grade are tested the most, with as many as 27 days, or 15 percent of the school year,” (Layton). Eleventh grade is stressful with the additional SAT, ACT, or AP exams facing many students in the spring as well as these standardized tests. If all these schools do is test knowledge students should have learned, they will never have the time to learn