When it comes to standardized tests, many students, parents, and teachers have strong opinions about how effective it is and how they feel about it. In 1998 Florida introduced it’s first standardized test, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) (Florida Department of Education; FLDOE). The FCAT consisted of various subjects for grades three to eleven to determine the students improvement toward meeting the Sunshine State Standards (SSS) (FLDOE). During the 2010-11 school year, Florida began the transition from the FCAT to the FCAT 2.0 and Florida End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments (FLDOE). Keep in mind that there were still certain grades and subjects taking the FCAT until the change was complete. Most recently, in 2015, is when the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) was in effect. Given this is eighteen years of experience with standardized testing, students and teachers are still struggling. Fifty five percent of students statewide passed this year, compared to 66 percent passing the previous version in 2014 (Postal, Orlando Sentinel) Now if we combine the total number of tests from a student’s thirteen school years, CBS News states, “Between pre-K and 12th grade, students took about 112 mandatory standardized exams, according to a study of …show more content…
Is 112 mandatory standardized exams really necessary for students Moreover, the famous company, Pearson, plays a major part in various standardized testing. Pearson is widely known for administrating the majority of our tests, certifications, and textbooks. Pearson states on it’s website, “Pearson is the largest provider of educational assessment services in the U.S. We score examinations for the federal government and more than 25 states, including billions of multiple-choice tests and more than 111 million essays every