Why We Should Ban State Testing

Ban State Tests

I think we should ban state testing. Although some may argue that this action would not help identify if students are college and career ready, I do not agree. Standardized testing has not increased student achievement in the United States of America. These assessments are bias and treat all test takers the same. State tests make the school environment stressful for students and teachers. These tests also do not determine whether students go on to college or get a good job. Perhaps the most important reason to ban state tests is standardized testing has not improved student achievement in the United States of America. In 2011, a National Research Council report found that there is no evidence test-based incentive programs are working: "Despite using them for several decades, policymakers and educators do not yet know how to use test-based incentives to consistently generate positive effects on achievement and to improve education." (p.

These tests are not even on their official transcripts. They do not have to pass these tests to go to college. The only tests colleges require are the ACT or SAT. When Bob goes on a job interview, I am sure that the interviewer is not going to ask him what he made on the MAP English, Algebra, Biology, and U.S. History tests. Why? It is because theses test scores are irrelevant and obsolete. In conclusion, there are many important reasons why state tests should be banned. Getting an education is hard enough without being distracted by tests that serve no true purpose. These tests only show a millisecond of what a person knows. People have multiple levels of intelligences that no test could ever measure. They cause so much unnecessary stress. Furthermore, they do not show if students are truly college and career ready. During the time students are taking theses worthless tests, they could be actual learning something new and applying it in the real