Standardized Testing Argumentative Essay

Do you know that most standardized tests are school imposed, not mandated by the government? Standardized testing is a way to gather data and evaluate students' academic abilities. They have been around since the mid-1800s. Standardized tests use multiple choice, true or false, and open-ended questions. Standardized testing should remain because it shows students' progress, allows comparison, and can be used in many different educational settings.

My first reason why standardized testing should remain is to show the student's progress. For example, “According to a comprehensive study conducted by the Council of the Great City Schools, students took an average of 112 mandatory standardized tests between pre-K and 12th grade. This results in plenty of individualized data to map each

Not only does it allow planning, but it also shows the weakness of students. So, they can then start focusing on their weaknesses to make them their strengths. “In addition to comparing students against one another or identifying problematic schools or districts, standardized tests can also illustrate student progress over time. Taking the same or similar tests over the years can allow students to indicate measurable improvement”(Crowder). Thus, finding out which school districts are weaker in which subjects, such as math or reading. Then they can focus on these aspects of school improvement and get the extra help to push to the next level of achievement. Nevertheless, people argue that standardized testing cannot gauge accurate progress. This argument is weak because “State-mandated standardized tests help prevent ‘social promotion,’ the practice of allowing students to advance from grade to grade whether or not they have met the academic standards of their grade level. A Dec. 2004 paper by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research found Florida’s 2002 initiative to end social promotion, holding back students who failed year-end standardized tests, improved