The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

Are We Truly Up To Standard?

The Real Issue With Standardized Testing

Standardized testing has been a heated debate for quite a while, with some stating that it is incredibly stressful, while others believe it sets a standard. If you’re unfamiliar with the topic, standardized tests are tests taken by students based off curriculum, but aren’t quite the same as your everyday review tests. These are long tests that are marked by computers, and are used to “judge” the student’s academic level. However, they are incredibly unnecessary. Test anxiety is a parasite that lives in schools, and is at it’s worst during standardized testing weeks. These tests try to act like a one size fits all t-shirt, but like with real t-shirts, it is not the case.

This is the question of many who are against standardized testing. The tests struggle to truly measure a student’s learning. The tests ask questions about material that has been learned over a certain period of time, thus measuring memory, not intelligence. If you ask a witness what happened at a crime scene, and they cannot remember certain details, are they suddenly dense? A quote from the Concordia University of Portland:

“Open-ended questions allow students to display knowledge and apply critical thinking skills, but most require human readers.”

This is the only downside. Multiple choice questions don’t really give the students the option to display what they really know, to give their answer in their words. It does make sense however, with issues surrounding lack of teachers to grade. If this is an issue though, then why not measure success by dropout rates, by college acception numbers? Why not by graduation rates? These tests, like stated before, do not measure the learning, skill, and intelligence of a student. As W. James Popham said best: “But, as most of us know from attempting to wear one-size-fits-all garments, sometimes one size really can't fit

These tests do not help anything mentally, as a study in 2012 showed that about 2.8 million Canadians (15 and older) suffered from a mental illness. Testing adds to a list of the things these teens, children, and overall youth have to be anxious and depressed about. 33% of US students (elementary) showed some anxiety surrounding standardized testing. What does this have to do with anything, you ask? People who are under pressure tend to do poorly, and something like a meltdown, a panic attack, or fainting, can really disrupt the focus and concentration a student needs to work properly in a testing environment. Suicide threats are also present. So, when a student has a lower test score due to stressing, but does wonderfully in class, how are they seen in a computer’s eyes? They fail, simple as that. No mercy is granted on these students, for with the way that the testing works, everyone would have to retake it if they did, to stay