The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

Iowa, CogAt, Air, STAR, OAT, OGT, OAA, PARCC, ACT, SAT, PSAT: what is the commonality of this seemingly random alphabet soup? In recent years, students have taken these standardized tests in school and many have taken nearly each one listed above. These tests are designed for the purpose of checking students’ growth and knowledge of core subjects like reading, math, english, science, and writing. While this may sound beneficial and look like a good idea on paper, the truth is the assessments are flawed for multiple reasons. Less importance should be placed upon high-stakes and standardized testing at all grade levels; too much stress is placed on students whose scores that fail to completely show their growth and personality. Originally, the

First, students have to be proficient in using the technology. If the students have trouble, administration and teachers need to know how to troubleshoot computers. They also need to problem solve on the fly, if issues arise, since the tests are time-sensitive. A school’s technology may be outdated and not equipped to handle the test. This may not be the teacher’s fault, but the school districts due to insufficient funds to update their computer and wifi system. Even if the teachers are computer-savvy, difficulties such as wifi problems, computer glitches, test system mishaps and other mistakes could hinder a school from performing well on these tests (Schaffhauser). Specifically at a public school in Northwest Ohio, the PARCC tests gave test takers and test givers alike technological headaches. Put simply, these tests are not given in the optimal

The education system puts a disadvantage on schools by creating a blanket standard for all of the students in the state. This is a cookie-cutter approach to education that does not personalize standards for individual schools. While it is important for students to be held to some sort of standard, it is more beneficial to set an attainable, yet challenging, requirement that is tailored to small regions. Low achieving students may struggle to meet a standard that may be considered average and still find themselves, even after hard work, to be below proficient. If the child’s starting point was on the bottom end, he or she could have made leaps and bounds of improvement in crucial skills throughout the school year. Standardized testing is not fair for the student and the teacher because a test requirement does not show the amount of growth that could have taken place under the