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Standardized Testing Argumentative Essay

1096 Words5 Pages

Since the beginning of time the human race has struggled to find a way to quantify intelligence. In the early 1900’s the French government asked psychologist Alfred Binet to find a way to identify the students that would struggle in school. Binet and Theodore Simon, his colleague, soon developed the Binet – Simon Scale (Flynn, The Hidden History of the IQ). This scale is still the basis for most IQ tests done today yet, even Binet admitted the scale, and other test like it, had their limitations. Now over a century later tests similar to the Binet scale are still in practice. Today in many parts of the world, including the United States, we determine intellect and persons ability to succeed by scores on standardized tests. This is detrimental to the education of students all around the world. I believe that this practice is unnecessary and should not be used to evaluate students and teachers because, standardized test are often found inaccurate, standardized tests encourage simplistic thinking, standardized tests …show more content…

In the U.S the states spend a combined $1.7 billion dollars a year on standardized tests. To give some prospective that is enough money to buy Instagram or pay the salary of sixty-eight Lebron Jameses, forty Kobe Bryants, and eighty-three Albert Pujolses with some money left over. In some areas, such as the District of Columbia, spending totals to as much as $114 per student. Of this $1.7 billion dollars 96% of it goes to the testing industries big four: Harcourt Educational Measurement, CTB McGraw-Hill, Riverside Publishing (a Houghton Mifflin company), and NCS Pearson. These companies control almost all testing material given at the state level. Even with the advancement of digital testing, spending on NCLB testing continues to accelerate. Are the statistics available to us from standardized testing worth 1.7$ billion dollars? If so, this is the price taxpayers must

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A recent study showed the average number of hours spent testing and the average number of mandated tests given of 66 city school districts. “The heaviest testing load falls on the nation’s eighth-graders, who spend an average of 25.3 hours during the school year taking standardized tests, uniform exams required of all students in a particular grade or course of study. Testing affects even the youngest students, with the average pre-K class giving 4.1 standardized tests, the report found”

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“The Lesson”: Talking about Democracy and Justice The core idea of the short story is about demonstrating the polar life of two races: the African-American community and the white “nobility” that revels in money while the former cannot afford to have a decent life. People from disenfranchised locales can have varying understandings of the situation that they are in. Tenably worse is resigning about the immutability this situation, however dismal or dejected it is. Even actually existing social inequalities can thus be seen as an evident reality if seen from a certain perspective.

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I found this important because it almost as if standardized testing has become about business and politics, not education. For example, When Congress increased this year’s budget for the Department of Education by $11 billion, it set aside $400 million to help states develop and administer the tests that the No Child Left Behind Act Mandated for children in grades 3 through 8. Among the likely benefactors of the extra funder were the four companies that dominate the testing market—three publishers and one scoring firm

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1229 Words | 5 Pages

Standard testing is a very controversial and important subject because it deals with the progression of the American education system. The practice of these assessments has been highly scrutinized not only for the way it has changed the format of classrooms, but also for its accuracy, pressure, and abundance. In 2001, standardized testing became federally mandated through the No Child Left Behind Act by former president George Bush Jr. According to research from the Council of the Great City Schools, students have been taking “an average of 113 tests from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade” (K. Hefling). These numbers have increased to the point where parents have opted for their children to not attend standardized exams.

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1352 Words | 6 Pages

“Standardized-testing regimens cost that states some $1.7 billion a year overall, or a quarter of 1 percent of the total K-12 spending in the United States, according to a new report on assessment finances” (Ujifusa). The money used for the tests could go towards sports, clubs, the quality of the education that the students are receiving, and even the school itself. Some schools in states other than Ohio got the memo and decided opt every student in the school out of standardized testing, which brought many benefits to the school and its students. The Curriculum Review states that “Standardized-testing will go by the wayside in Idaho public schools this fall, at a savings of $500,000.” Schools in Idaho saved money by the students not taking standardized tests, and that the money helped the school's academic clubs, electives, sports teams,

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483 Words | 2 Pages

One of the arguments about state testing is how state standardized tests affect the amount of money that school is given based on how many students pass. The more students who pass the test help get the school more money and the more students who fail prevent the school from getting the money it needs.  Standardized tests exist for administrative, political, and financial purposes, not for educational ones. Because the amount of kids passing or lack thereof affects the amount of money that school is funding, that becomes the sole priority for these teachers and/or administrators

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Theoretical Physicist Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” This reflects the mind set of many people who believe that standardized tests in the United States are nothing more than unfair competitions. Standardized tests have been a fundamental part of American education systems for the past two centuries. Following the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002, the use of standardized testing skyrocketed, mandating yearly testing in all 50 states. Studies conducted by the Council of Great City Schools have found that a usual American student takes 112 mandated tests, beginning in pre-kindergarten and continuing on until

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“Contradictions of School Reform: Educational Costs of Standardized Testing.” The Progressive Aug. 2000: 40. Gale Power Search. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

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569 Words | 3 Pages

The prices of tests right now are about 1.7 billion dollars per year, thats to much money to be wasting on tests. In just 2008 alone, the price it cost to make the tests rose from 423 million dollars to 1.1 billion dollars!(Standardized test) If prices keep on skyrocketing like they did in 2008 schools are going to go broke from these prices. Standardized tests are pushing kids out of school due to pressure. Taking very important tests can cause kids anxiety to flare up and might make kids drop out of school but opting them out of taking standardized tests might cause them to have less stress and they might excel in school.

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1454 Words | 6 Pages

Standardized tests have been an integral component of the American educational system since the mid-1800s. The use of standardized tests went through the roof with the creation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002, which made it mandatory for all 50 states to hold annual standardized tests. Standardized tests are defined by W. James Popham, former president of the American Educational Research Association, as “any test that’s administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard, predetermined manner. These tests often consist of multiple choice questions which are able to be quickly scored by an automated test scoring machine. I do not believe that standardized tests are improving education in America because they are detrimental

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573 Words | 3 Pages

There needs to be a better use for this money. Not only are these tests a waste of money, but they’re also a waste of time. Standardized tests take between 20 to 25 hours out of the school year, but the amount of time that students spend studying for them is immeasurable. Students do not learn anything during the testing process. Most students already struggle finding time to do homework, and they have to study for standardized tests on top of their already busy lives.

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1191 Words | 5 Pages

Standardized testing has become one of the most popular types of testing in U.S. public schools to date. Students take numerous standardized tests throughout their childhood schooling. (Studies show that a typical student takes an average of 112 mandated standardized tests between Pre-K and 12th grade.) While standardized testing is one of the main procedures that Universities use to judge incoming students, it is not proven to be the most effective way to convey a student’s actual intelligence level. The U.S. should not focus so heavily on standardized testing because it is not a complete accurate measurement of a student’s intelligence.

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919 Words | 4 Pages

When students could be learning meaningful information, teachers are using up that time and giving them tests and exams. Although, we want to be blaming teachers, states and schools are supposed to give out mandatory tests. Who is to blame? According to washington article post, Valerie Strauss, says “The average student in America’s big-city public schools takes some 112 mandatory standardized tests between pre-kindergarten and the end of 12th grade — an average of about eight a year, the study says. ” The state is to blame.

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490 Words | 2 Pages

According to a New Report on Assessment Finances that says "Standardized-testing regimens cost states some $1.7 billion a year overall, or a quarter of 1 percent of total K-12 spending in the United States". That is money that could be used to increase the teachers’ salaries because at the end of the day, with they are the ones who have spent 9 hours with us or sometimes even more. According to the Pew Center on the States "annual state spending on standardized tests rose from $423 million to almost $1.1 billion in 2008". Although, testing the concept learned throughout the year is a way to have knowledge of what students have learned worldwide. Also, it could be considered a waste of money because, some students won’t perform the same in an exam, rather than in

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1159 Words | 5 Pages

These people see standardized testing as inaccurate and a false way of measuring academic achievement. That is only a few of the many things seen as cons for standardized testing. Along with that the tests fail to measure such important aspects such as creativity and critical thinking skills. Studies indicate that standardized tests reward superficial thinking and might discourage more interpretive thinking. Next, as a result of the small fragment of knowledge that is tested, standardized tests capture a incomplete picture of student achievement.

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