ipl-logo

The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

1471 Words6 Pages

Thousands of tiny circles spread across the page, labeled with your first few ABC’s. Your palms begin to sweat as you carefully choose B, but it can’t be B! You’ve already chosen this letter the last three times, and now you’re left in a distressed state. This is the stressful feeling most students experience during standardized tests. Creating even more stress is the place these standardized tests count toward, a burdening place known as college. Many colleges require these standardized tests in order to be accepted, but some students believe otherwise. This develops the controversial topic regarding whether or not colleges should require standardized tests in order for the student to have a chance at being accepted. However, there are students …show more content…

“A study by Jay Rosner in 2002 showed that sample questions which were answered correctly by more African-American students were not chosen for use in the tests; this was done so that test results – showing African-Americans scoring lower than whites – would be “consistent” from year to year” (Woestehoff, 1). This illustrates that there is outright racism in the test and that there isn’t much diversity in colleges as a result. When African-Americans don’t score well, then colleges are reluctant to accept them. Likewise, there is a lack of cultural awareness. “A Latina ‘bias reviewer’ caught this item while reviewing questions prepared for the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. ‘I remember one question that showed a picture of a couch on a porch and asked, ‘What doesn’t fit?’ she says. “I started laughing…the way I grew up, everyone had a couch outside” (Woestehoff, 2). This portrays the lack of consideration for other cultures when making the test and when other cultures are not taken into consideration, then the test becomes completely unfair for people who are not familiar with traditions that might seem normal to people in America. In the same way, there is an unfair advantage to those who can’t afford test prep. “Students who can afford these sometimes expensive study aids to improve their scores have an advantage over students without the money. The more money a student puts into preparing for the SAT, essentially, …show more content…

“What About Your Grades.” My College Guide, 2 Oct. 2017, P. 2, mycollegeguide.org/guru/17/what-about-your-grades, Accessed December 10, 2017.

Olson, Madeleine. “Expensive SAT Prep Courses Give Wealthier Students An Edge.”Courant.com, 9 Sept. 2015, P. 2, www.courant.com/opinion/op-ed/hc-op-fresh-talk-olson-sat-prep-course-advantage-0909-20150908-story.html, Accessed Decemeber 10, 2017.

Seigel, Dora. “SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips.” High GPA but Low ACT Score: What Do You Do?, 20 Sept. 2015, 6:30:00PM, P. 3, blog.prepscholar.com/high-gpa-but-low-act-score-what-do-you-do, Accessed December 10, 2017.

“Standardized Tests - ProCon.org.” ProConorg Headlines, 31 Jan. 2017, P. 2, standardizedtests.procon.org/, Accessed December 10, 2017.

Tucker, Kristine. “How to Go to College With Low ACT and SAT Scores.” How to Go to College With Low ACT and SAT Scores | Education - Seattle PI, P. 1, education.seattlepi.com/college-low-act-sat-scores-2698.html, Accessed December 10, 2017.

Woestehoff, Julie. “What’s Wrong with Standardized Tests?” Seattle Education, 19 Mar. 2014, P. 1 & 2, seattleducation.com/2011/01/29/whats-wrong-with-standardized-tests/, Accessed December 10,

Show More
Related

Summary Of No The SAT Is Not Required By Justin Peligri

1398 Words | 6 Pages

Over time, the SAT’s format has changed to better measure a student’s ability and potential. Excessive stress is put on students to do well on the SAT’s, and causes them unnecessary strain. As college admissions become more and more competitive, the need for higher test scores has increased, despite fatal flaws in the SAT test itself. Although the SAT is used by thousands of colleges and taken by millions of students, many students' scores do not reflect their true abilities, and therefore the SAT test is useless.

Read More

Standardized Testing In Outliers

793 Words | 4 Pages

In a country that promotes the ideas of grit, innovation, resourcefulness, and growth, I find it curious that American universities are still using standardized tests as an indicator of future success in college. Although standardized tests are only one factor in admissions to many colleges, they should not be used at all because they do not accurately predict the success of students in higher educational environments. Instead of using the SAT and ACT, admissions officers should put more weight on written essays, cumulative high school grade point average, extracurriculars, and letters of recommendation when deciding admissions. Although some may argue that the SAT and ACT offer a way of ranking students without factoring in grade point average, their ability to predict the future success of college students has not been demonstrated.

Read More

Dealing With Bias In The SAT

1119 Words | 5 Pages

Standardized testing (SATs), in the United States has been present for years and has caused plenty of teachers, students, parents, and other individuals who are informed about it to have different perspectives and opinions on it. Before doing my research on the different opinions people had on standardized tests, I always believed they were encouraged by professors and school facilities. As a student myself and on the behalf of other students, standardized tests were always perceived to be stressful and unjust. Test taking was never a strength of mine especially if the test was timed because it just added more pressure to answer the questions quick. In high school, my teachers never discussed how they felt towards the SATs, which made

Read More

Optional Standardized Testing

1304 Words | 6 Pages

In 1942, the SAT was used for all applicants. “In 1948, the SAT was becoming the basic college admission device for millions” (“A Brief History of the SAT”). 80% of schools still require a standardized test score for acceptance (Blaf). However, this percentage is going down and as it does colleges will rely more a grades, which are more precise calculations of

Read More

Argumentative Essay On ACT And SAT Scores

729 Words | 3 Pages

A students ACT and SAT score is just one portion of many college applications. Colleges and Universities look at GPA, an essay, and letter of recommendations to determine a student’s admission. Many people believe that the importance of the ACT or SAT score depends on the college and what other things the student has to offer (Drinkworth, 2015). The ACT and SAT tests can be an important factor in college admissions because they tests are on all subject areas, math, reading, writing, and science. Since each area is graded separately and the score is later averaged out it shows how the students does overall in the general

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of The SAT

1241 Words | 5 Pages

SATS and ACTS have been used for numerous years as a way to gauge a student’s academic success while in college. Students have the choice which test they would prefer to take and most colleges do not prefer one test over the other. There are a few key differences between the SAT and ACT, which may make one test more suitable than the other for those taking the tests. Many studies have proven that the SAT and ACT are not the best judge of future success, and that colleges should focus their applications more on past grades and accomplishments to decide which students should be accepted to their university. SATs and ACTs are not an effective measure of college readiness and future academic success.

Read More

SAT And Act Needs To Be Changed

1688 Words | 7 Pages

Nowadays, SAT and ACT have affected students in good ways but bad for others that have disadvantages with the test affecting their chances to get into college. Although my point of view on the SAT and ACT differs from others, some have said that the SAT and ACT were beneficial. My opposition explains their belief that the SAT and ACT benefit the students and do not hurt them. Their counter argument includes how SAT and ACT

Read More

Standardized Testing Bias

1523 Words | 7 Pages

They argue that the real issue lies with the fact that colleges rely too heavily on the SAT in admission decisions. Scores of studies have shown that the SAT and ACT are poor indicators of students’ future success in college. Despite this, many colleges will still use these tests to weed out students who scored low, students that they predict will perform poorly in college, regardless of their levels of achievement, academic or otherwise, outside of standardized testing. This results in high numbers of students of color, who traditionally score lower on standardized tests, getting left out of the admissions process - because they’re being predicted not to do

Read More

Thesis Statement: The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

1749 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction Standardized tests may be used for a wide variety of educational purposes. For example, they may be used to determine a young child’s readiness for kindergarten, identify students who need special-education services or specialized academic support, place students in different academic programs or course levels, or award diplomas and other educational certificates. Thesis Statement Standardized tests should not be eliminated completely, but should rather be evaluated in addition to other factors such as grades, extracurricular activities, and volunteer hours. This would take pressure off of students during standardized tests, allow colleges to see how well-rounded the students are, and give students who are better in other areas

Read More

Argumentative Essay: Should The SAT Determine Your Future

483 Words | 2 Pages

The exam was formerly constructed in the 1920s to measure "American Inteligence", so that smart white males can be put into recognized institutions such as Harvard. Today the SAT is used in college admissions. Because of the time period,The Authors didn’t take account racial diversity. Not only is the SAT biased to non-white test takers, but also to the

Read More

Standardized Testing Research Paper

895 Words | 4 Pages

Standardized tests are very common in today’s modern society. They are used as a tool to measure a person’s performance and indicate how their estimated performance will be in a college class. Every year hundreds of students take the ACT or SAT in order to get accepted into their college of choice and to receive scholarships, but they fail to see the problems with these standardized tests. As more and more people take these tests, the national average score falls causing doubt in the extremely important system. This is leading people to question whether or not the ACT and SATs are accomplishing what they were created to do.

Read More

Should Standardized Tests Play In College Admissions Essay

1767 Words | 8 Pages

My topic revolves around the type of role standardized tests should play in college admissions. I plan to argue that colleges should put less emphasis on standardized tests when choosing the best applicants to attend their universities. Many colleges are taking the approach of ignoring standardized tests results, and either implementing new tasks or stressing other factors when considering the best applicants. Test-optional schools may require additional essays and personality tests, or examine the applicant’s coursework to determine academic excellence and degree of difficulty. The research I collected suggests that standardized tests are biased against various races and classes, GPA is a better indicator of college success, and test-optional universities lessen barriers and increase diversity within their institutions.

Read More

Why Is Standardized Testing Wrong

1960 Words | 8 Pages

Standardized Tests: Right or Wrong? Diane Ravitch, a historian of education, once said that, “sometimes the most brilliant and intelligent students do not shine in standardized tests because they do not have standardized minds.” These tests have been a part of American education since the mid-1800s(Is the Use), but now, many people are starting to realize that standardized tests are not as convenient as they thought they were. In 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act required all schools in the United States to test students in grades two through twelve annually in reading, math, and science(Is the Use). But since then, the U.S. has dropped from 18th in the world in mathematics to 36th, with a similar change in science as well.

Read More

What Are The Negatives Of The SAT

556 Words | 3 Pages

While writing this essay on statistics and facts about SAT’s, I also threw in some of my personal opinions. Writing about they SAT’s was another form of me venting about my personal experience and just how much they affected me. Everyone has the same feeling during their senior year in high school. Most people are stressed and want to get into the college that they have been dreaming about since they first heard of it. Even though everyone is stressed about how college will be and making the new transition.

Read More

Is Standardized Testing Worst

913 Words | 4 Pages

Testing At It’s Worst Standardized testing in not as amazing as it is proclaimed to be too all the students and schools around the country in today 's society”Standardized testing has swelled and mutated,like a creature in one of those old horror movies. ”(Kohn 1). The amount of testing that is going on in the united states is some of the highest rating in regards to how much they test and to the degree in which they test.

Read More

More about The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

Related Topics

Open Document