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Standardized Testing Informative Essay

831 Words4 Pages

Standardized tests were nationally implemented in 2002, when former president George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act. To this day, the assessments are still being implemented in public schools, causing much controversy and problems. Because standardized tests are failing to achieve their purposes by inaccurately measuring learning proficiency and restraining student growth, alternatives are necessary. Before addressing the issues with standardized examinations, it is important to consider their purposes. Aaron Churchill, research director for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, discloses that the tests measure student proficiency, thus providing a definition of “student achievement” for pupils and teachers (1). Another purpose of testing is to “measure the effectiveness of teaching” in schools (“Bush” 1). When the results of the examinations are finalized, scores are compared …show more content…

The examinations only assess few subjects, thus excluding other significant skills. According to Dennis Van Roekel, former president of the National Education Association, “math, reading, and science” are the only subjects examined on standardized tests (2). For that reason, the assessments fail to measure “creativity and problem-solving skills” developed in other subjects (Van Roekel 2). In addition, the examinations do not determine aspects of critical thinking. The computer that grades standardized tests “does not understand meaning” as only grammar can be graded (Ravitch 2). This displays that a poorly written essay can earn a passing score under standardized testing. Van Roekel continues that the “multiple choice” examinations cause students to spend weeks of memorizing information that they will likely forget (2). Memorization does not support the use of in-depth thinking, as all thought processes are abandoned. In the end, standardized assessments fail to grasp what a student has

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Meredith Broussard explains how standardized testing does not prove a child’s general knowledge nor creative in-depth thinking by stating, “Standardized tests are not based on general knowledge... they are based on specific knowledge contained in specific sets of books: the textbooks created by the test makers” (Broussard). Miner also states that standardized testing, “... leads to a dumbed-down curriculum that values rote memorization over in-depth thinking, exacerbates inequities for low-income students and students of color, and undermines true accountability among schools, parents, and community” (Miner). The assessment of a child should encourage a child to want to learn for the sake of learning. Alternative assessments could address a child’s development and learning process. These evaluations can determine why children are more likely to read behind grade level, instead of highlighting their inabilities.

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In the words of Albert Einstein, "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by it's ability to ride a bike, it will live its whole life believing it's stupid." In the United States, standardized testing has been the hallmark of K-12 education since its beginning in World War I. Modern-day standardized tests, such as the ACT and SAT, originate from the 1940s, a period of time that catered to one’s ability to assimilate and work an industrial job rather than today’s environment that praises one’s ability to form individual thoughts. This form of testing has been the standard since then, even though education as a whole has advanced far past the point of memorization. The modern-day culprit for the standardized tests students receive, however, is the No Child Left Behind Act.

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Firstly, they offer a limited scope of learning because they cannot fully capture the complexity of student learning. According to Egalite et al. (2016), standardized tests often prioritize a narrow set of skills, such as math ability and reading comprehension, while neglecting other important aspects of education, such as creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. The authors argue that while cognitive abilities are important, non-cognitive skills are often overlooked in this educational policy. Additionally, they found that such tests cannot account for linguistic and cultural differences, further limiting their scope in evaluating student learning.

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Have you ever worked really hard on something, only to find out that all of your work was not necessary? Well, we can all say this happened to us, at least, one time in life and most of the time it is caused by the deadly two words we all hate to hear: Standardized Tests. Standardized tests are a common and popular way to measure the academic achievements of students, teachers, and school districts. Since I’ve been in school, it’s always about standardized testing. Standardized testing is not beneficial; because, they measure the intelligence on a student, causes anxiety and they also take time away from subjects that are not being tested on.

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Standardized testing has shown that a student does not actually need to understand the information in class, he just needs to memorize it for the test. “Rather than providing the opportunity for students to demonstrate a higher level of reasoning ability, or carry out any form of extended analysis, standardized tests stress a more superficial level of reasoning, and are most typically extensive exercises in short term memory” (“Standardized Testing”). Most colleges require a minimum grade on standardized tests such as the ACT and/or SAT in order for a student to be accepted. Knowing this, students spend much of their time memorizing and studying to make a good grade so that they can get into the school they want. Although it is overused to measure the ability of students, standardized testing does not accurately portray how much a student knows because it creates test anxiety, stress, and an inclination to cheat under pressure.

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Albert Einstein once said: “What is tested does count, but much of what counts cannot be tested.” A child's efficiency should not be determined by the value of a test. Change needs to take place and a difference needs to happen within our education system in order for more students to transcend and succeed. So many different organizations have tried to tackle this problem due to the harm it has caused our youth. Yet, thus far standardized testing still remains a factor in the school systems (NJ.Gov, 2016).

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