What´s Standardized Testing Improve Student Performance?

Students are spending increasing amounts of time preparing for and taking competitive standardized tests. Standardized testing has become a controversial discussion subject, as it does not improve student achievement or teacher performance. Some advocate for these tests because it provides students, parents, and the government with information on the students’ progress. Although most schools make students take standardized tests, it does not measure the knowledge of the students, causes disadvantages for students and teachers, and can be biased or even unfair. First, high-status universities decided they wanted to offer more students across the country a better chance in higher education, but there was not a way to measure the proficiency

Unfortunately, untested areas, are becoming less and less a part of the school, especially under the pressure of the No Child Left Behind Act. The NCLB is an act that closes the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice so that no child is left behind. The act called for one hundred percent of students to be proficient in both reading and math in states given tests (P. Harris, Smith, and J. Harris). The No Child Left Behind Act’s use of the standardized testing negatively affects schools by pressuring them to change the curriculum, to cheat to meet better scores, and to make teachers and students face many drawbacks. NCLB is referred to as “the nation’s report card” because it is the only measure of student achievement given to a sampling of students around the

On the other hand, standardized testing does have its benefits. Taking these tests provides students information about their progress over the course of several years, in areas such as math, reading, and writing (Geier et al. 923). It also helps to show parents how their child is doing compared to students locally and nationally, as well as how their child’s school did compared to other schools. According to Karen Tankersley, “standardized testing provides government information on the education system to improve areas that are lacking.” In some cases, testing can guide teachers on student learning and their own teaching practices. Nevertheless, these claims are inconsequential because these tests still are non-accurate evaluations of knowledge and learning and serve to create disadvantages for students as well as for teachers. Therefore, U.S. Department of Education should do away with standardized testing. In conclusion, standardized testing may have its benefits, but as a determinant factor should be done away with. These tests have been proven to hinder students’ learning in the classroom, and do not equally measure every kind of intelligence. Overall, these tests just do not accurately measure students’ knowledge, could potentially create shortcomings, and are biased. Therefore, all the endless studying and preparing these tests require is a waste since the test is in no way an exact evaluation of a