Standardized Testing Argumentative Essay

Standardized tests have played a large role in the education system over the past few years, serving as a way for schools to determine a student’s academic progress and skill levels. Since the 1960s, standardized tests have been a requirement for school curriculums. Students are instructed to answer a set of questions based on skills that have been taught previously throughout the year. The recorded scores are then considered by schools, colleges, and universities to observe the academic levels of a student and their individual progress. Many of these tests such as the ACT, SAT, and others are weighted as a graduation requirement and viewed by colleges across the nation. Despite this, students argue that standardized tests can evoke intense

The majority of students that attend private or public schools have expressed feelings of worry or stress while taking tests. Stress can alter the accuracy of these tests, being that anxiety can severely affect a student’s ability to concentrate and apply the information they’ve learned. When this comes into play, test scores can be considered inaccurate. In the research study, The Relationship Between Test Anxiety and Standardized Test Scores of Walden University, written by Beth Ann Fulton, the connection between students’ test scores and anxiety is addressed. Fulton states, “many students with test anxiety cannot concentrate on the test questions which, in turn, triggers poor performance on tests.” When students experience any sort of anxiety or stress while or before test taking, it can serve as a major distraction and severely affect their ability to focus and comprehend each question. Some students grow fidgety and distracted, as anxiety can block certain mental skills that students require to focus and concentrate. Students are able to better explain their thoughts and information they’ve learned when they are in a comfortable setting and have a clear and focused mindset. These skills are blocked when a student is distracted by contributing factors that make them anxious. Fulton also mentions more extreme reactions students may have to taking high-stake tests. She

Especially in modern times, standardized tests are created with a strict or biased viewpoint, being that they can be designed to apply to a certain race or social class. According to ProCon.org’s article, Do Standardized Tests Improve Education in America? tests are designed to target these groups specifically, and questions often require the knowledge of background details that only apply to certain students. “Too often, test designers rely on questions which assume background knowledge more often held by White, middle-class students.” When questions are created this way, minorities or other groups of students may be put at a disadvantage, ineffectively assessed, or treated unfairly. Students with a wealthier background can also be exposed to further learning resources and methods of higher education that other students may not have access to. This is something that many test designers may be unaware of and is not considered when test scores are evaluated. While these points argue that standardized tests lack reliability and accuracy in many cases, some support the idea that standardized tests do more good than harm to the modern school