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Standardized Testing Arguments

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Standardized Testing Argumentative Essay The United States’ education system sets kids up for failure. This is due to mandatory tests called standardized testing, which attempts to see where a child’s current cognitive abilities lie. However, standardized testing fails to do so, and is a detriment to student education, failing to prepare students for post-education life. These fallacies in the US education system are due to the avocation for teachers to ‘Teach to the Test’ and testing material not being suited to properly gauge student progress and knowledge. Teachers are persuaded to regulate what they teach to their students by what 's on the test due to government funding based off school’s test scores. Resulting in gaps in knowledge due to an incomplete learning curriculum. In a five-year study done by the University of Maryland, they found that when teachers teach to the test there is a decline in “teaching higher-order thinking, in the time spent on complex assignments, and in high amount cognitive content in the curriculum” (Jacobs, 2007). The university’s study shows that teaching to the test coincides with the decrease of curriculum quality, thus hindering the students’ ability to achieve. Also, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) testing standards have changed to narrow down the test material; focusing more on Math and English while pushing out Science, History, and the Arts. This shift in educational standards is demonstrated by the author of “Choices, Changes, and Challenges: Curriculum and Instruction in the NCLB Era” when she states “75 percent of districts …show more content…

Nonpersistant factors like a disruptive student in the classroom or a car alarm going off can draw attention away from the test at hand and waste time. Time better spent on finishing the last couple of questions on a timed test, such as the SAT or

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All students dread one thing when it comes to school - testing. Standardized test are the main focus in our school systems instead of actually gaining knowledge at the end of the year. As a mother, Michelle Rhee, understands the lack of attention given on education as a whole instead of just waiting on the scores, but she still agrees on continuing with standardized test. Kristina Rizga opposes the opinion of Michelle Rhee as she does not believe standardized test truly measure the intelligence of a student. Kristina Rizga proves her stand against standardized test by utilizing solid use of argumentation.

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By doing so, we can rely on assessments that allow students to practice and apply material in order to foster retention and mastery (Ravitch 261). Ravitch discusses Finland and how they completely reformed their educational system into a structure that has students take zero standardized tests until they reach the college application process, a method that was enacted to promote teacher accountability and place a stronger emphasis on the noncognitive aspects of individual development. A component of the basis for the argument, Ravitch states, is that while standardized testing may be effective when it is administered fairly, it often impairs students’ abilities to critically analyze information and leaves them practicing how to guess the “right answer.” Addressing this issue is a responsibility that falls on administrators and policymakers; they must be held accountable and required to make changes that best meet the constantly evolving needs of the students. In this case, completely modifying the concept of standardized testing is a necessity.

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Standardized testing creates an environment where children come to despise learning and with that, begin to despise the pursuit of knowledge in general. This focus on “rote learning” stays with children their entire lives, hindering their ability to think at a deeper level and even to create independent and original thoughts and

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Last week President Obama announced that he believes the school in america should have less standardized tests. President Obama says “students are spending too much time in the classroom taking tests, many of them unnecessary, and urged officials in the country’s schools to take steps to administer fewer and more meaningful exams.” The white house agrees by saying “a problem the administration acknowledged it has played a role in — has taken away too much valuable time that could be better spent on learning, teaching and fostering creativity in schools. To curb excessive testing, Obama recommended limiting standardized exams to no more than 2% of a student's instructional time in the classroom.” This would allow the student to spend more

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: In my opinion, standardized testing is beneficial but also flawed. I agree they’re non-discriminatory because the content is equivalent for all students, but teachers are “teaching to the test,” leaving out additional learning opportunities. From experience, I believe the tests are

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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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Over two hundred parents claim to not let a student go through standardized testing. The earliest records of standardized testing come from China, for the subjects of philosophy and poetry. America “copied” the European education system. In the early 20th century, immigrants took “standardized tests”. To determine possible career and where each person stood socially.

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In a study done at Michigan State University in 1983, Donald Freeman and his associates selected five standardized tests that were given nationwide, as well as four textbooks that were widely used to see if the material on the tests is covered in the textbooks. They found that 50 to 80 percent of the questions on the test were not adequately covered in the textbooks. Michigan researchers said, “The proportion of topics presented on a standardized test that received more than a cursory treatment in each textbook was never higher than 50 percent” (Popham). This proves that some teachers, while it is not their fault, do not appropriately prepare their students for these tests, because the material is barely discussed in the textbook. Those teachers who are unfamiliar with the type of questions that are on the state assessments are going to assume that if it is truly meant to test how well students learn, then it will assess them based on how the subject in question is taught locally.

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Standardized Tests are ineffective because they don’t measure what is important. Other people may think that we don’t take enough tests. The text stated, “We need a lot of tests to figure out how smart people are getting.” This all may be true, but, parents are complaining that the teachers are “teaching to the test”. Other people may think that we don’t take enough tests while some parents are complaining about all of the testings.

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Some students might be sick on that day and not at their peak performance level. Standardized testing puts many students under a lot of

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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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Student Sudhanshu Pandey, was a happy, normal teenage boy who didn’t look like he would succumb into depression. On march 4, Sudhanshu seemed unusually reluctant to go school. Later than day his parents found him in his room hanging from the ceiling fan. Sudhanshu left a note, explaining how all the pressure and stress in his life from test exams has taken over. Not only has Sudhanshu Pandey been depressed and stressed from testing, its all over the world.

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Recently, the Common Core State Standards were developed and kids were going to be tested more than ever. However, all of this education reform has been a failure because our testing scores have not improved, the testing makes children suffer, and it doesn’t improve how teachers teach. Education reforms has had little effect on our testing scores. The average score for a 17 year old student doing a reading test in the beginning of school is 285 and over 40

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For as long as I can remember I have known what I wanted to do with my life. Science has always been a passion of mine, and medicine in particular has interested me for some time. Dedicating my life to improving the lives of others is very appealing to me. One day I want to join Doctors Without Borders which is an organization that gives aid to war-torn countries. I have worked very hard throughout my student life to get close to achieving that goal.

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Testing At It’s Worst Standardized testing in not as amazing as it is proclaimed to be too all the students and schools around the country in today 's society”Standardized testing has swelled and mutated,like a creature in one of those old horror movies. ”(Kohn 1). The amount of testing that is going on in the united states is some of the highest rating in regards to how much they test and to the degree in which they test.

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