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Standardized Testing Essay

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Standardized testing assesses a student’s individual performance and does not consider exterior factors. Test achievement plays a big part on those factors. Something as simple as a cold on the day of testing may prevent a student from performing well on test day. Pretest anxiety is also a common occurrence for many students. “Standardized testing only evaluates the individual performance of the student instead of the overall growth of that student over the course of the year. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) only focuses on whether a student is proficient at the time of testing. This does a disservice to both the teacher who worked hard to help their students grow and the student who worked extremely hard over the course of the year and improved …show more content…

Teachers and the school are obligated to teach the student what is essential for the standardized test. The scores are public record so when teachers and schools do not meet the test requirement they are placed under scrutiny. This can result to job loss and in extreme cases the school may be seized by the state. In the article, Testing does not measure up for Americans, Jeanette Deutermann of North Bellmore, NY objects to the tie between testing and teacher evaluations that has been promoted by the U.S. Department of Education. “If they hadn’t done that, none of this would have gone as it has. The minute they tied teacher evaluations to those test, they set up classrooms to be about nothing except testing. Now teachers’ careers hang on this ludicrous test. So of course, they are going to make kids spend all of their time preparing for the test. Their careers depend on it”. However higher pay does not lead to better student performance. “Performance pay may in fact drive more talented teachers out of the profession. Studies show that while money matters to teachers, working conditions are more important. Teachers want to work in supportive environments, where they have scope for creativity as well as rigor, and where colleagues collaborate, rather than compete, with one another. If performance pay puts teachers against one another, places even greater pressure on test results, and creates

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