Standardized tests fail to meet their goal which is to measure the schools’ and students’ performance while raising the academic benchmark of education. On the contrary, standardize tests are a major stress factor that affect parents, teachers and students.
Through the years all 50 states have been putting their students under the pressure of taking the tests. With the federal law, No Child Left Behind Act in 2002, schools are required to test the students annually. In Texas, children third grade and up have the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or as it is commonly referred to as STAAR. Math, Reading, Writing and Science are the subjects in elementary school. Social Studies is added in middle school, and Algebra I, English
…show more content…
As mentioned in the website, standarizedtest.procon, these assessments contribute evidence of schools’ accountability, and they also “ensure that teachers and schools are answerable to taxpayers” ("Is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America?”). The tests also shows prove of what goes on in the classrooms. Abigail Marshall, states in her book The Everything Parent’s guide to Children With Dyslexia, that The No Left Behind Act have some important arrangements that may benefit children with learning disabilities …show more content…
They are inclusive and non-discriminatory, and they guarantee content is the same for all students ("Is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America?”). Progress can not be measure with teacher-made tests, or grades. However, the assessments should have a better reading and use. The purpose of these tests, among others, is to compare students’ performance from one year to the next. Nevertheless, they fall behind on reporting about individual students’ success, “whether students are learning critical thinking skill, or how engaged students are in the learning process” (“State Standardized Test Scores: Issues to Consider”). Consequently, these factors are significantly important when evaluating a school.
Teachers and parents argue that “”Teaching the test” is replacing good teaching practices with “drill n’ kill” rote learning” ("Is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America?”). They say that teaching for the assessment is significantly narrowing the curriculum, and that children spend more time in tedious test preparation that in hands on or project based learning activities ("Is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in