Essay On The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

As reported by the Office of Work/Life of the Columbia University there are both pros and cons of standardized testing. They state that the main benefit is that these tests make schools and teachers accountable, and that they should teach what students need to know for these tests. This, however, has a con; teachers may lose jobs and schools may be even shut if students repeatedly, which will put extreme pressure on both parties, in turn, causing them to teach only what would be necessary, hindering a student’s potential. Another pro included in this report is the ability that it gives educational boards to evaluate sub-groups and develop programs so as to better educate them. Standardized tests also allow parents to see how their children are doing in school compared to the country, state, or municipality. Most of the pros focus on the ability that it gives different entities to evaluate students and be able to compare them, since the tests will include the same questions. The same report lists

Remarking that all mechanisms that include assessing, testing, and etc. are all aimed into creating what was previously described as the “economic man”, Chomsky mentions that people who do not fit into the categories will end up dropping out. Finally, the philosopher cites that industries such as the public relations industry are devoted to the “economic man”, and also help in creating this image with the help of propaganda. A person who has recently shifted his views towards standardized testing into a more negative one is Barack Obama. The president himself was cited by Vox.com as saying the following:

"When I look back on the great teachers who shaped my life, what I remember isn 't the way they prepared me to take a standardized test." (Barack Obama,