Standardized testing not only stresses out students, but it also leads the teachers to go in a dilemma whether to focus on the curriculum or to get students ready for the standardized testing. No one has ever enjoyed taking a test in his or her entire educational history. Similarly Mr. Estrada’s 4th grade class was not every excited about taking standardized test. Each student has his or her own level of learning. As the students were taking the test, I noticed some students were panicking, while others were confused.
Since 2006, overall SAT scores have dropped by 21 points. It is safe to say that the increase in standardized testing has done more bad than good. When standardized testing became more prominent, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) saw a plateau in reading and math scores. Additionally, the NAEP saw no further closure in the test score gap. The test score gap affects all minorities.
1. Standardized tests are a reliable and objective way to measure student achievement. Multiple choice tests like the ACT and SAT are graded by machines and not subject to bias or subjectivity. Having to rely on scores from teachers is not as reliable as the teachers have a vested interest in producing favorable results. 1.
Standardized testing has been apart of American education since the mid 1800s. Standardized testing has dramatically increased since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 as it was required in all fifty states. Rankings in the states have decreased since the No Child Left Behind Act and it has been thought education in the United States has been a failure due to high poverty levels, teacher quality, student desire to thrive, and different school testing policies. The issue of standardized testing starts with, is it actually helping education in America. Every student deserves an effective teaching system which works to better their education; standardized tests are not working towards advancing student education.
Standardized testing brings an added stress on students to score high. If students do not score high on standardized tests it lowers their self esteem. Teachers have to spend plenty of time telling their students how to take a test and not teaching them material that they need to learn for the class. When they are being taught how to take the test they could be learning more information about material in the class. Some people say that standardized testing can
Standardized tests are just teaching kids to memorize information. “Statistics items that appear on traditional tests typically…do not test whether or not students understand statistical concepts, are able to integrate statistical knowledge to solve a problem, or are able to communicate effectively using the language of statistics….students who produce a correct "solution" on a test item
There is evidence to support that standardized tests are negatively affecting our students, lowering the quality of education, and leaving our students ill prepared for the “real world.” There is also evidence that standardized tests are not a good measurement of intelligence for everyone as discussed by Howard Gardner in his multiple intelligences theory. Evidence suggests that standardized tests should be reevaluated, changed, or completely eliminated. Participants I sent surveys (Appendix A) to 2 former standardized test takers.
Standardized testing today is a worldwide phenomenon that supposedly ranks the intelligence of students on a level playing field. States have been in a competition over the highest test scores, the better your rank the more funding you receive. This does not stop at state competition, nations recently have been competing at a global scale and rankings come out for every subject each year. However standardized testing like the SAT, ACT, and state tests have had an overall negative impact on the education of the youth. The first form of the standardized test comparable to today's standard, was created in the early 19th century by Horace Mann (History of Standardized Tests).
Standardized Testing is a very controversial topic in the academic teachings community lately. There is a very big divide between what students and parents feel about these tests verse what big corporations think about these tests. Is it viable? Does it truly test the smartness of a student? These questions are the few questions that are at the core of this topic.
The Center on Education Policy has reported that almost half of the school districts in the US has reduced their time in social studies, science, and arts, while increase in math and reading. United States has problem with testing by having mismatch standards in different districts and states, aligning national test. In a multiple choice are straightforward results, students thinking is simplistic, and they also don’t show student’s creativity. While response test shows student critical thinking. Gerald W. Bracey adds that standardized test doesn’t measure motivation, resilience, curiosity, persistence, reliability, leadership, and etc.
School’s are using standardized testing for the wrong reason. “A standardized test is any examination that’s administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner. There are two major kinds of standardized tests: aptitude tests and achievement tests” (Popham, 1999). The most common examples of aptitude tests are the SAT and the
No matter where students go to school or what kind of curriculum they are expected to follow, it is expected for them to be tested, and to test well, on generalized materials that are in the basic subjects, math, english, reading and science. All of these tests, are very common throughout the United States and are mostly used in measuring how a student will perform in their academics. All of these test vary in their states and in all grade levels. These students have been taking these tests for as long as they can remember. Standardized testing used to begin when the students are about in third grade, but now we see kids even as young as kindergarten, some of which don't even know their first names, taking standardized test.
Standardized testing is a fundamental part of the American education system and that has been the case for many years. During those years, such testing has provided the education system with some benefits. However, for the most part, this testing has had a detrimental effect on the quality of schools, how teachers teach, the education of students, and the American education system itself. As such, this kind of testing has proved to be more harmful than it is beneficial. As a result, standardized testing should be removed from the American education system because it influences schools to inefficiently use classroom instruction time, encourages inefficient teaching methods, produces inaccurate scores, and restricts the creativity of students, a quality that they need.
A standardized test, according to W. James Popham of ASCD.org, is “any examination that is administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner.” In standardized testing, examinees are instructed to precisely answer a specific set of questions, which are usually multiple-choices. Although standardized testing is believed to be an objective method to grade students, administers should understand that these tests are not only a waste of time, but also a waste of money. Standardized testing is irrelevant to a student’s education because it is an unreliable way to measure a student’s knowledge, causes stress, and hinders a student’s overall learning potential.
Standardized tests are tests designed to evaluate a student’s performance and as well as the teacher’s performance where these tests contain the same set or common questions which are taken by the students annually in the same way (The Johnson Center, n.d.). However, these tests may also vary depending on which of the student’s or school’s ability would they like to evaluate. Standardized tests are of different forms. There are tests intended to evaluate a student’s learning and academic progress¬—if a student was able to learn what he/she was supposed to learn¬—over a period of time.
