In recent years, the debate around standardized testing in education has intensified. While some argue that standardized testing is necessary to measure student achievement, others argue that it is an assault on humanism and critical thinking in education. This essay will explore why standardized testing is a threat to humanistic and critical thinking education.
Standardized testing refers to the process of administering tests that are designed to be administered and scored in a consistent manner. The results of these tests are used to make decisions about the educational progress of students and the effectiveness of teachers and schools. While the use of standardized testing has been widespread for many years, its use has become more controversial in recent years.
One of the main reasons why
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Students are often taught to memorize facts and formulas rather than to think creatively and critically about the world around them. The focus on testing results in a one-size-fits-all approach to education that neglects the individual needs and interests of students.
Furthermore, the use of standardized testing can exacerbate existing inequities in education. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds often struggle with standardized tests due to factors such as lack of access to resources and testing anxiety. This can lead to a perpetuation of systemic inequalities and an exacerbation of the achievement gap.
To address these issues, it is essential to adopt a more humanistic and critical thinking approach to education. This approach values the unique experiences, perspectives, and talents of individual students and encourages creativity and critical thinking. It recognizes that education is about more than just test scores and data points, and that students need to be engaged in meaningful and relevant learning
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 my opinion, standardized testing is beneficial but also flawed. I agree they’re non-discriminatory because the content is equivalent for all students, but teachers are “teaching to the test,” leaving out additional learning opportunities. From experience, I believe the tests are
Standardized testing has become a very controversial topic amongst the nation. There are two sides, one that agrees that these tests are doing well for students and school officials, and another that argues that these tests are hurting the students taking them and should be put to a stop. Norman R. Augustine wrote an article for the need of standardized testing, and Jessie B. Ramey States the ways that the tests are impairing the learning capability of the students. Norman uses three arguments that people opposing the standardized test would most often use.
In fact, the increasing use of standardized testing will do more damage than good, because of its failure to capture the entirety of a student’s body of work. Furthermore, the overwhelming stress that the United States government, and school systems have placed on the usage of standardized tests has become detrimental to American education, and is not the most effective way to gauge the intelligence of American students. The American educational system should be fixated on providing each child enough attention and information so they can succeed in that class and in the future. However, the increasing focus on having to pass a standardized test has blinded schools of the real goal, because they are required to get their students to pass the standardized tests.
In “What are the Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing,” Spark Admissions argues two outlooks on standardized testing. Standardized testing is any mandatory test that everybody in an area has to take, and they all have to do them under certain conditions. Some examples are SC Ready, MAP, SC PASS and the ACT. Students take these tests to measure their knowledge on a topic and compare them with other students. Standardized testing should not be required in schools because it can cause students to lose confidence in themselves, students with more wealth are the ones more likely to succeed, and the tests are unfair to some students with special needs.
Introduction Attention Grabber: If you are not good at taking tests, does it mean that you are not going to be successful? The test is just a number who can be alternated whether you cheap it or not and how focused you were when taking it. As students, teachers, and parents, we are all familiar with the concept of standardized testing. However, have you ever stopped to consider whether or not these tests are actually necessary or beneficial? Today, I want to discuss why I believe standardized testing should be eliminated in our education system.
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”, an article published by Gale claims “standardized testing ultimately leads teachers to spend more time on test preparation than on the actual material students need to study as part of their intellectual development” (1). This divulges that time that could be spent learning, is being wasted by test prep and
People argue that standardized testing detracts from genuine learning and that the emphasis on test scores results in an overly narrow focus on math and reading, neglecting other crucial areas of education, such as social studies, science, and the arts. While it is true that some educators may prioritize teaching according to the test, this is not a flaw inherent in standardized testing but rather a failure of teaching practices. The use of standardized testing does not inherently prevent teachers from providing a well-rounded education that incorporates multiple subjects and fosters critical thinking and creativity, but rather, it is up to teachers to create a balance between test preparation and other broader learning objectives. Moreover, standardized testing provides an objective measure of student achievement and can identify areas where students need additional support. The data provided by these tests can inform instructional decisions and help teachers target their instruction to address areas where students struggle.
Standardized testing creates an environment where children come to despise learning and with that, begin to despise the pursuit of knowledge in general. This focus on “rote learning” stays with children their entire lives, hindering their ability to think at a deeper level and even to create independent and original thoughts and
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
“We’ve asked test scores to carry ever more weight” (Harris 3). With the No Child Left Behind Act coming into play through 2015, now called The Every Student Succeeds Act, standardized testing became the center of students' lives. From the time they were in elementary school taking those exams, to high school, where these tests can determine their future, students never catch a break. Everybody tests differently, not everyone deals well under the pressure of a timed exam, creating unreliable data. “Standardized tests inadvertently create incentives for students to become superficial thinkers” (Harris 3).
According to the National Education Association, “Only 14% of Americans say that standardized testing is important and needed in the school system” (Walker 1). The other 86% think standardized testing is not important or beneficial and therefore should not be used in school. Standardized testing is not beneficial because the tests can discriminate against students, they do not fully measure students’ knowledge, and teachers focus too much on them. Although standardized tests measure some aspects of a child’s knowledge, factors like race and culture have a big impact on a child’s score.
In the article Abstaining From Standardized Tests Disrupts National Educational Data Leo Doran exhibits how the use of standardized testing is to give extra help to the students in need and to keep schools and students responsible for their learning (Leo). Accountability would be a very big issue if standardized testing were to be eliminated, however there are other alternatives that could help with students staying responsible for their learning like the opt out movement, widening the test so people of diverse groups can also relate, pushing more importance on learning the material and not comparison, among other things. Bobbie Solley describes how tests have been connected to accountability for students and teachers, “They are now attached to high stakes, such as grade retention, admittance into special programs, graduation, admission into college, and whether or not schools remain open and teachers get to keep their jobs.” (Solley). This is an important factor, keeping others responsible through different factors that Solley included.
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.