Standardized Testing Argumentative Essay

Concerns about bias, discrimination, and inclusion have driven ongoing arguments about the use of standardized testing in the educational system. Many contend that students with disabilities, those from underprivileged homes, and non-native English speakers all have inherent disadvantages that may affect how well they score on these tests. In addition, because standard tests are sometimes created without a particular learning style in mind, they do not adequately meet the different needs of all students. The reliance on rote memory in standardized tests, might not fairly reflect a student's genuine academic performance or cognitive skills. The present educational system has also come under criticism for its shortcomings and inequalities, such

Last but not least, bias might emerge in the "item," or the test question itself. This implies that a question's wording, context, or content may be prejudicial toward particular groups of people, making it more challenging for them to provide an accurate response. Overall, it's important to emphasize understanding and addressing bias in assessments to ensure fair and accurate evaluations of student knowledge and abilities. While the idea of equity is present in standardized tests, it's not executed very thoroughly, leaving inequalities amongst different groups of students, “Standardized tests are thought to be fair because every student takes the same test and evaluations are largely objective, but a one-size-fits-all approach to testing is arguably biased because it fails to account for variables such as language deficiencies, learning disabilities, difficult home lives, or varying knowledge of US cultural conventions” (American University). The fact that there are numerous factors that have an impact on a student's test is one of the fundamental problems with standardized testing. Even if they have a thorough

Additionally, students from challenging family situations might not have access to the same support and resource systems as their peers, which might affect whether or not they’re able to study for and succeed on the test. Students from non-US backgrounds or those who are unfamiliar with US cultural norms may also find it difficult to understand some of the test questions. There's a lack of inclusivity in standardized tests when it comes to disabilities and different learning styles, “It would be difficult (if not impossible) to test soft skills like collaboration, tangible problem-solving, and the ability to justify with a standardized test, but alternative assessment methods can effectively test these skills” (Ferrell). Standardized testing in the education system is discriminatory. Not every student learns the same way, there are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. In a classroom a teacher has to adapt to these learning styles for the kids, to provide as much equity as they can. What doesn't add up is, if