The state of Texas has been in a constant struggle within itself over just how to evaluate education, and standardized testing in Texas has been a major influencer in terms of the state’s standards for over thirty years. Though these methods of testing have been utilized for decades, resentment to the tests have been continuously rising among educators, parents, and students, but not everyone agrees. Despite government officials trying to quell these protests with changes to administration, and the way the test itself is formatted and formulated, there seems to have been little to no improvement made and those opposing the tests have started calling for an end to all standardized testing. For one to truly understand this ongoing struggle, one must first look at standardized testing’s beginning, then how government today is trying to fix the broken system, and finally consider the opinions of notable figures in the testing world.
Background
According to the Texas Education Agency’s timeline for assessments in Texas, standardize testing got its start in 1979. Though the initial law only required knowledge
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Senate Bill 1543 that became effective August of this year works to protect students who did not complete a typical high school program from being treated unfairly when being considered for admission to a university. A student who submits evidence of completing an education following the same standards, specifically including standards on standardized testing scores, than they must be equally considered as a student who did graduate from a public school. In order to determine this student’s would-be rank in a high school class if it is a factor in determining admission, the institution must decide that student’s rank based on the average graduating students rank with similar testing scores on the standardized test