Opting out of Standardized Tests is not the answer
In the present era, we people talk a lot about education structure and standards in a region and its effects on various classes of people in that region. It is so because education is the primary thing to decide many facets of life and society. In regard to that, the article here says that whether or not the students from 3 to 8 grades given a choice to opt out of standardized tests in New-york.According to me, it should not be given for a variety of reasons.
Firstly,the city of New-york alone stands odd among the other states of nation.The nation’s academic standards get disturbed once the state of New-york gives the choice for students to opt-out of standardized tests on reading and math.It
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In addition to that,the Federal law policy of implementing penalties on districts that fall short of 95% students taking standardized tests may prove worse for that particular district as far as education aids are considered.If students are given choice to opt-out,then the wealthier and middle class may opt-out and reduce the funding available for students who are still interested in taking tests.So,the issue must be addressed accordingly leaving everyone happy rather than some part of people happy.
So as to conclude,the policy makers or political leaders should consider this issue in a holistic approach and should not give the flexibility for students to opt-out of annual tests as it retains the conventional education standards of the country which in turn may help build a fairly considered society.They may also consider developing alternate policies to stress the importance of standardized tests rather than giving choice to opt-out
Standardized testing not only stresses out students, but it also leads the teachers to go in a dilemma whether to focus on the curriculum or to get students ready for the standardized testing. No one has ever enjoyed taking a test in his or her entire educational history. Similarly Mr. Estrada’s 4th grade class was not every excited about taking standardized test. Each student has his or her own level of learning. As the students were taking the test, I noticed some students were panicking, while others were confused.
Last week President Obama announced that he believes the school in america should have less standardized tests. President Obama says “students are spending too much time in the classroom taking tests, many of them unnecessary, and urged officials in the country’s schools to take steps to administer fewer and more meaningful exams.” The white house agrees by saying “a problem the administration acknowledged it has played a role in — has taken away too much valuable time that could be better spent on learning, teaching and fostering creativity in schools. To curb excessive testing, Obama recommended limiting standardized exams to no more than 2% of a student's instructional time in the classroom.” This would allow the student to spend more
Standardized testing really took off after the no child left behind act of 2001. Since then the number of standardized tests has only gone up. Now even 2nd graders have to take standardized tests. More tests is the answer our government has for the problems with our education. Tests are not the solution, they are part of the problem.
Standard testing is a very controversial and important subject because it deals with the progression of the American education system. The practice of these assessments has been highly scrutinized not only for the way it has changed the format of classrooms, but also for its accuracy, pressure, and abundance. In 2001, standardized testing became federally mandated through the No Child Left Behind Act by former president George Bush Jr. According to research from the Council of the Great City Schools, students have been taking “an average of 113 tests from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade” (K. Hefling). These numbers have increased to the point where parents have opted for their children to not attend standardized exams.
Standardized testing has not improved education in America. Standardized tests have been issued in schools all across the nation for years now. Some people like them and some people don’t. They do not help the student learn more information than they would without the tests. The U.S. has dropped from 18th highest scores in schools in the world to be in the 30’s on almost all of the subjects on the test.
Education is most important item in our today’s society. However, education is also a social capital matter, due to the unity between student, parents, teachers and politicians. Jesse Hagopian had discussed in his lecture how standardized tests are destroying the American educational system because it forces the teacher to teach the students how to answer right on the test, rather than teaching them the important life skill. In addition, the standardized tests are very biased on areas where the student is from. In poorer areas, the school may not able to afford better technology or provide prep classes, compared to wealthier school.
Opt Out is a movement that is addressing the option of not having a child participate in standardized testing. This is part of the No Child Left Behind program and addresses the way standardized testing distorts and corrupts K-12 classrooms perception. A growing numbers of parents, teachers and students are questioning the value of federal, state and district testing. Opt Out is stating that standardized testing results have shown that it is not having a positive effect on preparing students for college. This subject is important not only because our group is comprised of a soon to be mother and a mother of a teenager but the overall effect on the educational system.
Currently, there are 850 test optional colleges in the USA and this number is slowly growing (Sheffer). William Hiss believes making standardized tests optional will allow more people to get a higher education (Sheffer). Optional testing creates a more equal opportunity for everyone. A Wake Forest study showed that the “average high school GPA of incoming freshman increased after the school stopped using standardized test scores as a factor in admissions” (Balf). It was also found that higher GPAs were maintained in college (Jaschik).
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.
“Standardized-testing regimens cost that states some $1.7 billion a year overall, or a quarter of 1 percent of the total K-12 spending in the United States, according to a new report on assessment finances” (Ujifusa). The money used for the tests could go towards sports, clubs, the quality of the education that the students are receiving, and even the school itself. Some schools in states other than Ohio got the memo and decided opt every student in the school out of standardized testing, which brought many benefits to the school and its students. The Curriculum Review states that “Standardized-testing will go by the wayside in Idaho public schools this fall, at a savings of $500,000.” Schools in Idaho saved money by the students not taking standardized tests, and that the money helped the school's academic clubs, electives, sports teams,
As a student in high school did you ever feel like the standardized test are helping you or making you get in to a better college? Have you ever thought about how many hours students and teachers spend preparing for the standardized test? Many hours and studying are being put into those test but are they really effective and are the test doing the students good in life? Standardized tests are really just to effective, teachers and students spend too much time on them and it’s not doing the students any good, and even it’s not doing the teachers any good. Standardized tests in schools today in Ohio should be stopped because they are causing for teachers to be evaluated by the test results of how the students do on the tests, they are having the students more stressed about school and do they benefit you in colleges and university and do they really look at how well students do on them test.
In fact 70 percent of educators surveyed in 2015 say that tests are not developmentally appropriate. Furthermore many students suffer a great deal of stress because of standardized tests. What’s most shocking is that instead of lower income schools getting better after tests were implemented they have actually gotten worse. School could essentially be taught by robots. At this point most teachers in my district have to teach a curriculum that is developed by the state instead of their own curriculum.
This book analyzes the problem of acquiring standardized tests. It discusses where they originated, their limitations and flaws, what the point of taking them is, as well as what concerned parents and teachers can do. It discusses how schools seem to forget the fact that students go to school in order to learn the material which is presented to them, versus just going to pass a test or a class. It goes on to state the negative effects that produce from standardized testing. Testing on incorrect material, high stakes for cheating, and the fact that the tests may contain multiple errors are just a few of the many reasons provided for as to why standardized tests do more harm then good.
Students shouldn't have to take standardized tests because it could cause severe stress on children, older students might not take the tests very seriously because it doesn't affect their overall grade, and it robs children of their childhoods. First of all, these tests can cause severe stress in most students. On the website ProCon.org, con number nine it states, ” According to education reacher Gregory J. Cizek, anecdotes abound ‘illustrating how testing ...products gripping anxiety in even the brightest students, and makes young children vomit, cry, or both.’’ It also states that there is instructions on what to do if that happens!
A standardized test, according to W. James Popham of ASCD.org, is “any examination that is administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner.” In standardized testing, examinees are instructed to precisely answer a specific set of questions, which are usually multiple-choices. Although standardized testing is believed to be an objective method to grade students, administers should understand that these tests are not only a waste of time, but also a waste of money. Standardized testing is irrelevant to a student’s education because it is an unreliable way to measure a student’s knowledge, causes stress, and hinders a student’s overall learning potential.