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Arguments over standardized testing
The problems with standardized testing
Arguments over standardized testing
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All students dread one thing when it comes to school - testing. Standardized test are the main focus in our school systems instead of actually gaining knowledge at the end of the year. As a mother, Michelle Rhee, understands the lack of attention given on education as a whole instead of just waiting on the scores, but she still agrees on continuing with standardized test. Kristina Rizga opposes the opinion of Michelle Rhee as she does not believe standardized test truly measure the intelligence of a student. Kristina Rizga proves her stand against standardized test by utilizing solid use of argumentation.
Proponents see standardized testing as a way of making testing more efficient and effective by minimizing cost and increasing people’s accountability for their performance in the system. Opponents on the other hand argue that the systems has limitations based on its very nature on what can be tested and as a result of these standards needing to be met sacrifice some very important aspects of students education experience as well as force onto students and teachers a one size fits all model that has failed to deliver on its promises. After having reviewed all the evidence in detail it becomes clear to me that standardized testing is not an effective system for educating students and does more bad than good
1,2: For my issue, I plan on addressing the controversy of standardized testing. I believe there would be differing opinions in the audience, some supporting and disagreeing with the topic. Most, if not all students have taken some form of standardized testing, thus, establishing a wide variety of viewpoints. While some believe this form of testing accurately measures a student’s achievement, others think it is an unreliable measure of a student’s performance. 3
Standardized testing has become a very controversial topic amongst the nation. There are two sides, one that agrees that these tests are doing well for students and school officials, and another that argues that these tests are hurting the students taking them and should be put to a stop. Norman R. Augustine wrote an article for the need of standardized testing, and Jessie B. Ramey States the ways that the tests are impairing the learning capability of the students. Norman uses three arguments that people opposing the standardized test would most often use.
It is 8 o'clock on a Monday morning and you're crammed in a room surrounded by people you most likely don't know, taking a test you have probably never taken before. This five hour test you're worrying about is our standardized testing. These are tests that are designed in a way that manages and documents consistent standardized test scores. In standardized testing all of the test takers are required to answer the same set of questions, under the same conditions. These tests usually have multiple-choice problems and true or false questions, where examinees are given a certain amount of time to answer as many problems in a set time.
Testing is around 115 years old; it started being taken seriously in academics in the early 1900s for the United States. Although it seems minor, standardized testing should not be a thing in any type of school because it causes physical and mental stress for students and teachers, causes a major financial strain in many schools, and takes time to complete and prepare for. Standardized
Standardized Testing ; Are they so bad? Standardized testing can come with huge consequences for students and even teachers. A student who was a junior from Arlington, Texas got suspended because he took a picture of a STAAR exam.
Standardized tests are one of the most popular ways schools attempt to evaluate academic intelligence of students, school districts, and teachers. These tests are used more specifically to evaluate student performance in the education system by testing their abilities in mathematics, english and sciences. By giving every student the same test, they are setting a standard idea for how well every student should score on the test, such as the SAT or the ACT, no matter the school or educational process they are receiving. Allowing every student to take the exact same test, gives the state a way to generalize student’s academic intelligence without having to do much work to make the testing one hundred percent fair. Standardized testing in schools should no longer be required because it discriminates against the less wealthy families, does not effectively measure achievement and becomes a distraction to the student’s learning environment.
Not only does the school system hurt the concept of individuality in personal expression, but it also encourages higher-ups to think of the student body as a sort of group itself, ignoring the basic needs of each distinct student. When kids are constantly grouped together, it becomes difficult to differentiate herd mentality from individual thinking. Kids often don’t know that such an idea can hurt them because they have been taught from such a young age that there is supposed to be a “standard” when it comes to grading and grades. Standardized testing promotes the culture of thought that there is supposed to be a “good” and a “bad” when it comes to ways and results of learning. According to source C, these testing methods are started as early as kindergarten-- a time
The tests are ineffective because they don’t measure all of what the students know, and what is important. The text stated, “Standardized Tests are IQ tests from one-hundred years ago. They are outdated.” Some reasons to why Standardized Tests are ineffective are that they don’t measure student’s creativity, and they make students feel they aren’t smart. In the 1950’s they only tested every two years.
The act of child abuse can be viewed on a broad spectrum, and standardized testing is one of them. According to research done by Council of the Great City Schools students take on average 113 tests between pre-k and 12th grade. The large number "113" is scary for someone who has a long time before they finish the 12th grade. Standardized testing is a pointless experience to face that doesn't provide an effective way to improve instruction or performance and here is why; Testing does not provide an effective analysis of an individual student’s academic abilities, it stresses the student and the teacher, and the stakes are incredibly high. As a subject of standardized testing I can verify that standardized test are one of the most stressful experiences
Standardized Testing Do you think students should be tested so much? Students are tested from grade three all the way up to their senior year of High School. Their test are mostly about Reading and Math. Testing so much should be illegal. Standardized Testing should be limited because students become overwhelmed, are robbed of their childhood and has not achieved anything from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) which was passed in 2002.
Standardized testing has become one of the most popular types of testing in U.S. public schools to date. Students take numerous standardized tests throughout their childhood schooling. (Studies show that a typical student takes an average of 112 mandated standardized tests between Pre-K and 12th grade.) While standardized testing is one of the main procedures that Universities use to judge incoming students, it is not proven to be the most effective way to convey a student’s actual intelligence level. The U.S. should not focus so heavily on standardized testing because it is not a complete accurate measurement of a student’s intelligence.
These people see standardized testing as inaccurate and a false way of measuring academic achievement. That is only a few of the many things seen as cons for standardized testing. Along with that the tests fail to measure such important aspects such as creativity and critical thinking skills. Studies indicate that standardized tests reward superficial thinking and might discourage more interpretive thinking. Next, as a result of the small fragment of knowledge that is tested, standardized tests capture a incomplete picture of student achievement.
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.
