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
In identifying why these standardized tests exist, the hope is to generate a metric which will be used to analyze whether the current standardized testing system is sufficient and identify both areas of strength and weakness. The ultimate hope is to answer the question, “What is the purpose of state-mandated standardized tests for public elementary and middle schools, and how well to they fulfill this purpose,” and by doing so, improve standardized
Standardized tests are very common in today’s modern society. They are used as a tool to measure a person’s performance and indicate how their estimated performance will be in a college class. Every year hundreds of students take the ACT or SAT in order to get accepted into their college of choice and to receive scholarships, but they fail to see the problems with these standardized tests. As more and more people take these tests, the national average score falls causing doubt in the extremely important system. This is leading people to question whether or not the ACT and SATs are accomplishing what they were created to do.
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).
The average American student takes about 112 standardized tests between pre-kindergarten and 12th grade (Strauss). A standardized test is any form of test that requires the student to answer the same selection of common questions in a consistent matter, which makes it possible to compare relative student performance. Standardized tests restrict creativity, waste time, and waste money. We should get rid of standardized tests in our school system. Standardized tests limit a student’s ability to express creativity.
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.
The education system in the United States of America is frequently questioned, as well as the systems that have been put in place to try and repair it. The schools in the U.S. have learned to depend on standardized testing too much to the point that it is harmful to the students. Today teachers encourage students to be themselves and become their best self and make them conform to national standards all in one breath. Some of the main problems with standardized testing are: the reforms don’t work for the people that need it most, and the nation relies too much on test scores.
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.
Juliet, with her pencil in hand, is walking into the classroom reviewing all the information she has been studying diligently for the past month. Nerves bubble in her stomach; this test will determine her future. Standardized testing often determines if one passes a grade, or if the student is “smart enough” to take advanced classes. Tests are administered multiple times a year to evaluate students’ achievements and the performance of their schools. According to Barner and Slate, “U.S. education has steadily progressed toward a more standardized testing and one-size-fits-all approach to prepare students for life after K-12” (qtd. in Scogin et al. 42).
Introduction Standardized tests may be used for a wide variety of educational purposes. For example, they may be used to determine a young child’s readiness for kindergarten, identify students who need special-education services or specialized academic support, place students in different academic programs or course levels, or award diplomas and other educational certificates. Thesis Statement Standardized tests should not be eliminated completely, but should rather be evaluated in addition to other factors such as grades, extracurricular activities, and volunteer hours. This would take pressure off of students during standardized tests, allow colleges to see how well-rounded the students are, and give students who are better in other areas
High school is a place where students go to acquire an education and prepare for college. The general idea of what those years are like stays the same, but as each generation changes so do the experiences they go through. It is easy to look to the past from the present and see what has changed from then and now. Change is inevitable and not an exception for the future; the high school experience in a few decades will different than what it is now. Those changes are already beginning to take place currently.
Standardized Testing Many schools put students through standardized testing which in turn places the students in certain classes thought to be right for that student; however, many of these tests do not accurately measure the students capability. Tests that students take, who are in high school, are meant to prepare them for college and to let them know where they stand academically and how much scholarship money they could earn. Today, schools are putting too much importance and emphasis in these tests, the cost to get into college if you do not score well on these tests is infallible, and many students who do well in the classroom and have good grades do not test well, therefore, those students do not get the academic support that they deserve in college. Standardized test are meant to place students academically where they belong and also retain
It is discouraging to think that the intent of standardized testing was to promote educational excellence, while the introduction of standardized testing to students has actually had the opposite effect. How do you define student achievement? Many people think standardized testing is the answer. These exams are otherwise known as “high-stakes tests” because the outcome of these tests are often extremely significant for a student’s future. Since 1994, when states were first required to develop their own tests, standardized testing has been used to measure the performance of students.
Standardized assessments to many others can be considered an important role in the educational system and they believe that they have brilliantly positive effects on improving a student’s learning based the results of these tests. “My appreciation of having had the privilege of introducing standardized tests in my school cannot be too strongly emphasized… No school can accurately determine the progress of its pupils, either as a group or individually, without using these tests” (E.M.W. 126). It is true that these tests can review results of standardized tests, but does it hold accurate results of how effectively these children are learning educational material? It’s important to understand that these results can only tell one side of the story.
The United States currently ranks 27th among 34 other global education systems (Schleicher). As a nation, there is a duty to promote a high quality education for all peoples, but the country’s rankings suggest that the education system needs improvement. A comparative study by John Bishop of Cornell University presents evidence of the learning value of standardized tests. In one study, he found that countries where requiring students to take nationally standardized tests often showed higher test scores on international tests than those in countries where not requiring the tests. Therefore, standardized test such as SAT should be improved as in a form of mandatory annual test to induce students to be prepared on their academic success.
