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Arguments Against Standardized Testing Essay

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Students in the United States go to high school, graduate with a good GPA, apply to a college of their choice, get accepted, and go through college to find a high-paying job in the future. Unfortunately, there are some students who have the grades but do not have the test scores that colleges would like to see to be admitted. The alternate route for these students that still would want to pursue a college degree would be to either retake the tests that they did not do the best on or apply to a community college, and then transfer into a college of their choice. The use of standardized testing in college admissions should be eliminated due to its biased nature, limited scope, and lack of effectiveness in predicting student success. Standardized …show more content…

One of the alternatives should be a full review of a student’s records in post-secondary schooling. A comprehensive and unbiased method of assessing a student's potential of academic success in higher education is overall application review. This method can provide a more complete picture of a student's skills and accomplishments by considering several factors, including academic performance, extracurricular activities, and personal experiences. The potential bias that can result from only using the results of standardized tests and other restricted measures can be minimized with the use of comprehensive evaluation. In relation to the overall review of a student’s records, performance-based assessments and portfolio reviews can be used to help fully identify a student’s skills and abilities. These assessments, which consider a wider range of skills and information than traditional standardized tests, can provide a more thorough understanding of a student's abilities. The administration of these assessments could cost more time and resources, and the scoring could be flawed or inaccurate. Although these problems may arise, it could be a better alternative than having to use standardized tests. Lastly, schools should revert to test-optional policies like they did in 2020. Caralee J. Adams, who wrote “College-Entrance Testing: ‘Defining Promise: Optional Standardized Testing Policies in American College and University Admissions’”, said that a new study found that there were "’no significant differences’ between the college grades and completion rates of students who submit ACT or SAT scores with their college applications and those who do not” (Adams pp.1). This concept may create higher education more accessible to students from different backgrounds, including those who might not do well on standardized tests. It also raises the question whether these tests are

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