Is Standardized Testing Bad

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Exploratory Paper: Is Standardized Testing Bad?
Standardized testing has been around in one form or the other for centuries based on historical data which shows its use way back in imperial China and was used to determine the strengths and talents of individuals so that they could be effectively used in the emperor’s service. In the 19th century Great Britain introduced standardized testing to its’ territories and eventually Europe. The United States introduced standard testing to its citizens in the late 20th century and has rapidly integrated this testing tool into the nation’s public school system. Several laws including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and most recently the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 have made it …show more content…

They argue that the fact that the results of this test can be seen by all parties involved in the education system allows for accountability on the parts of all involved if test results are not where they should be. They argue that this helps educators by ensuring that all, fourth graders for instance, are being taught the same material and are being tested with the same standardized test across the country. This is seen as being extremely beneficial in that it allows for specific districts and school to make the required adjustments in any area that they fall short off versus the national results. It is also seen by these proponents as helping teachers minimize time wasted trying to put together their curriculum by giving them guidance on what to teach allowing them to focus on educating the children under their …show more content…

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

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