Introduction
I. [Attention Getter] We have all taken standardized tests whether they were the SAT, ACT, ISAT, PSAT, or STAR, but have you ever felt like your test scores didn’t really reflect how intelligent you were?
A. Maybe you ran out of time to work through the questions.
B. Maybe test anxiety handicapped your performance.
C. Maybe the test failed to recognize the skills that you possess.
II. [Topic Justification/Establish Controversy] For over a decade, standardized testing has moved into attention surrounded by its controversy and concern.
A. Nearly 13 years ago the No Child Left Behind Act passed through legislation and put an emphasis on testing and test scores (Holmes 2009).
B. First Lady, Michelle Obama spoke in February of 2008
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II. [Second Constructive Argument] Second, standardized testing causes unnecessary stress and anxiety for students.
A. These tests replace the fun of learning and succeeding with the stress of testing.
1. According to education researcher Gregory J. Cizek, narrations are readily available "illustrating how testing... produces gripping anxiety in even the brightest students, and makes young children vomit or cry, or both" (Cizek, 2001).
2. In the article “The case against standardized testing: Raising the scores, ruining the schools” by the Partnership for Smarter Schools the prevalence of test anxiety is highlighted, “test anxiety has grown into a subfield of educational psychology” (Kohn, 2000).
B. This stress can be harmful for students.
1. The stress caused by standardized testing can affect how the student performs on the test causing them to score to lower.
a. In the article published by Adrian College “Correlates, Causes, Effects, and Treatment of Test Anxiety” it is affirmed, “Test anxiety causes poor performance. It relates inversely to students’ self-esteem and directly to their fears of negative evaluation, defensiveness, and other forms of anxiety” (Hembree,
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He gives tips to help students “outsmart” multiple-choice tests; moreover, these tips can help students score higher without actually having the necessary knowledge.
4. [Impact Statement] Though these skills can be helpful for students, they cannot be used to accurately assess the well roundedness of the student.
B. [Turn the Tables] There are many important skills that cannot be measured by standardized tests.
1. Diane Ravitch, education historian and professor at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development explains this lack of accurate measurement saying, “Sometimes, the most intelligent minds do not shine in standardized tests because they do not have standardized minds” (Ravitch, 2010).
2. According to education researcher Gerald W. Bracey, PhD, qualities that standardized tests cannot measure include "creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, curiosity, endurance, reliability, enthusiasm, empathy, self-awareness, self-discipline, leadership, civic-mindedness, courage, compassion, resourcefulness, sense of beauty, sense of wonder, honesty, integrity" (Strauss, 2011).
3. Therefore, there are a broad variety of abilities that are not considered in students’