Standardized Testing Cons

Schools in America take a test each year called the standardized test, which is a tool used to measure the effectiveness of the school, the teacher, and the performance of the student. However, “standardized tests have been a part of American education since the mid- 1800s. Their use sky rocketed after 2002’s No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) mandated annual testing in all 50 states” (Standardized Tests - ProCon.org.). In addition, for years teachers have been on a schedule to cram their students with information that is a majority of the time only relevant to what is on the standardized test. Teachers push this information onto their students because the Standardized test scores are really important to the school, and it makes the school appear

Phelps” (Standardized Tests - ProCon.org.). Furthermore “debates about standardized testing are wide-ranging, nuanced, and sometimes emotionally charged, many debates tend to be focused on the ways in which the tests are used, and whether they present reliable or unreliable evaluations of student learning, rather than on whether standardized testing is inherently good or bad” (Standardized Test Definition). In addition, “proponents say standardized tests are a fair and objective measure of student achievement, that they ensure teachers and schools are accountable to taxpayers, and that the most relevant constituents- parents and students- approve of testing” (Standardized Tests - ProCon.org.). However “most test developers and testing experts for example, caution against using standardized-test scores as an exclusive measure of educational performance, although many would also contend that test scores can be a valuable indicator of performance if used appropriately and judiciously” (Standardized Test Definition). A local teacher said “some principles like standardized test because they can make they’re school look good which equals more money. Most teachers don’t like standardized tests because it makes them have to teach to the test instead of teaching the curriculum. It also puts a lot of pressure on the teachers because in some states they’re tests scores decide on how much they get paid, if they get to say in that grade level, or if they get moved to a different grade level because their scores were better for that grade level” (source 1). A teacher that teaches at a local school said “the state testing I had used for much of my career was severely flawed (STAR) I did