Standardized Testing Pros

They often provide some type of “standard score” which can help interpret how far a child score ranges from the average student (Johnson). The tests have multiple categories but in the main courses students need to take are Reading/Writing, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science. These tests are scored in a predictable way which

As Michelle Obama once declared, “If my future was determined just by my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn’t be here. I guarantee you that.” The performance of a school’s organization is based off of the results of standardized tests taken by students (Walberg). Standardized tests are a guide to the board of education on how a school can improve its curriculum in a way that is most beneficial to students (Walberg). “The scores of standardized tests are not the same as student achievement” (Harris). In spite of the people who believe that standardized tests are a key factor to determine a student’s academic abilities, standardized tests distract students from their current studies, they are only designed for one way of learning and comprehending material, and they are biased to students.

A local teacher said “some principles like standardized test because they can make they’re school look good which equals more money. Most teachers don’t like standardized tests because it makes them have to teach to the test instead of teaching the curriculum. It also puts a lot of pressure on the teachers because in some states they’re tests scores decide on how much they get paid, if they get to say in that grade level, or if they get moved to a different grade level because their scores were better for that grade level” (source 1). A teacher that teaches at a local school said “the state testing I had used for much of my career was severely flawed (STAR) I did

After students have taken the standardized tests, their scores are then averaged up and published and the different schools are then ranked from highest to lowest score. Because of this, teachers and professors end up teaching to the test due to the terror of losing their jobs. According to Scholastic.com, “it is unfair for schools to be compared because the test-takers are different sets of people, which cause a biased manipulation in statistics.” Educators neglect to teach students the appropriate skills that go beyond the classroom and tests, since they are now too caught up in preparing their students for these standardized tests. Educators are now using their time explaining the topics that will be a part of the tests, which leads them to forget to teach the students life lessons that go beyond the classroom walls. Another reason why standardized tests pressures mentors, is because the test results are used to examine their performance as an educator, which should not be the

This notion reduces the validity of NAPLAN due to the fact that it assesses how well the students have been directly taught for the test, rather than the mathematical ability of the students. Another issue with NAPLAN, is that it does not solely test student’s mathematics ability because language comprehension is needed to understand the worded questions. So, students with language difficulties will be disadvantaged even if they have a sophisticated knowledge and understanding of mathematics. Therefore, the NAPLAN testing scheme does have many educational benefits for students, teachers, parents, schools and the government; however, it is not without its faults and there are areas in which improvement could be

Evaluating individual sudents through standardized tests is a poor way to evaluate a students knowledge and should be replaced with performance based assessments. Standardized tests are used in most schools and institutes. These are tests that are designed and graded in a consistent and standard method. In standardized tests, all participants are required to answer the same set of questions. The exams are usually multiple-choice or true or false questions, the participants are given a certain amount of time to complete the test in.

For example, the stress that students have due to the tests can encourage them to cheat, take performance drugs, and do other illicit acts. Also, students are not truly learning, since test companies do not give any feedback on how to do better and improve test scores. Another negative aspect of standardized tests is that they declare everything a student has learned and experienced over the years as a single number, the student’s score. The poor scorers would then lose self-esteem, while the well scorers are pressurized to keep scoring well, many of whom completely lose time for fun. Those well scorers might not even be as smart as they were thought to be.

So, the result of this approach—judging teachers by the score gains of their students—will incentivize teachers to avoid students with the greatest needs. This is just plain stupid as a matter of policy” (Germain). This quote is important because it relates to students not learning well because of issues at home or medical reasons. To explain, it talks about children with disabilities or who are homeless or something along those lines aren’t going to learn as well as other students. If teachers have these students in their class then they aren’t going to get paid very much from them.

During my junior year, the school made us do this online program called “Study Island” to help us prepare to take the HSPA. I hated it, especially because it tested me on math that I had not learned in my classes so I had to teach it to myself, but in order to get a good grade, we had to pass every module with an “advanced proficiency.” I failed each module at least 10 times and had to ask my teacher to reset my progress so I could try again. It seems silly now, but it made me so miserable and frustrated I would cry while doing the problems. This went on for weeks and by the end of it I had only learned enough to pass the test and nothing more. I could not even understand what I was doing.

These effects are a far cry from their desired effects of pressuring staff to do their best in everything they do. Teachers seem to be the most affected by the need for students to score well on their assessments. This is true due to our school system today which has forced many into a rigid teaching guideline that is meant to prepare students for their big test that will ultimately reflect upon themselves as well as the students. This problem distracts from the teacher’s wishes and wants for their students curriculum. This does not even mention the large class portions taken up by test prep and test taking tips that distract from meaningful learning, making for more problems than a test would solve.