Standardized Testing Report

Imagine walking into school on test day. You’ve spent the whole school year preparing for this exam; one exam that will determine whether or not you can move forward with your life. The stakes are high, and the stress is even higher. The closer the time gets to the beginning of the test, the heavier your chest becomes. You find yourself gasping for air, as though you can’t get any oxygen into your lungs; you’re drowning. The bell rings, and you cringe. The ringing pains your ears; you make your way to your seat. The tests are being passed out to everyone. Your heartbeat starts to pound so loudly in your ears that you can’t hear any of the instructions. Another test. Another grueling test. You’ve done them for years, but none have been this

According to Shannon Gilchrist, with the Columbus Dispatch, in Ohio alone, it is estimated that students incur approximately 112 standardized tests before graduating from high school (Gilchrist, 2015). Additionally, Dr. Richard A. Ross and the Ohio Department of Education (2015) released that over the course of a child’s school career, he or she is subjected to over 257 hours of mandated standardized testing (Ross, 2015). It must be understood that this measure of hours spent testing is miniscule in comparison to the time that is wasted instructing students how to take the tests. A colossal amount of time is spent in the classroom teaching students the types of problems that will be on the test, as well as tips and tricks to help them get higher scores, weeks, and even months before their testing dates. This information is only useful to students in regards to taking one standardized test, one time. Without a doubt, a student would be further along spending those hours learning and understanding skills that will help them in the future, rather than becoming experts on standardized

The issue arises, in this “solution”, the testing of the new evaluation’s effectiveness. In studying the effects of a new testing system, there would be an increase in the frequency and magnitude of testing which students would be demanded to undergo in order for the test to be deemed adequate. If the new test was not seen fit to measure academic progress, other tests would need to be imposed until a sufficient one is approved; the result of this solution is a mass-tested society. Therefore, this “solution” is not really an answer at all, but rather, another issue waiting to