We Should Kill Standardized Testing Essay

Why We Should Kill Standardized Testing

Standardized testing: the nightmare of every student’s school year. There are many problems with the state using standardized testing as a measure of a student’s success in the classroom. One of these reasons is that some students are just not good test-takers. People are still not realizing the problems with standardized testing, as in the US, all 50 states require students to take these tests. Standardized tests are not just a worry for students, they are also an inconvenience to teachers. Eighty-five percent of teachers even go as far as saying that the school gives less attention to topics that are not on the standardized tests. Standardized testing does not give every student an equal opportunity. Government officials in Louisiana even investigated a report that revealed that nearly 50 percent of the school districts that were dominated by low-wealth and minority students failed the

A study conducted throughout the entire continental U.S. showed that 70 percent of teachers reported to being stressed from standardized testing, with 66 percent believing that they spent too much time studying material that was going to be on the test. Teachers are pressured by their school district administrators to push this material, as these test scores determine the quality and budget of education their district will get. There is certainly a better way to divide up the budget in each school district. So far, this is what we have learned about standardized testing: It stresses out students, it provides disadvantages to low-wealth and minority students, and it puts pressure on teachers to study the common core test material rather than helping students learn and grow. It is important that the state knows how students from each district are doing in the classroom, but there is a much simpler way to do this. Require schools to publish grade reports of their