Standardized Testing Pros

Standardized testing is the most commonly used and well known method of testing used in the United States and many other countries around the world, but can harm educational quality and promote inequality. Standardized testing is used to determine student achievement, growth and progress. Standardized tests are tests that attempt to present unbiased material under the same, predetermined conditions and with consistent scoring and interpretation so that students have equal opportunities to give correct answers and receive accurate assessments. The idea is that these similarities allow the highest degree of certainty in comparing results across schools, school districts, or states. Standardized tests are also used to determine progress in schools,

It is very easy for a test to be objective. It does not have emotion or biases. When giving more personal assessments, it is very easy for the teacher assessing the student to express their emotions or biases that can affect how they score a student. Standardized tests also allow for accountability. Setting high expectations for students and holding them accountable for the same standards leads to achievement gains. High-stakes testing can force students to take their education seriously.

Standardized testing can be a powerful tool to change classroom and school practices. We can use testing to tell us whether we have a problem and where. Once we identify the problem in the classroom, school or district we can take active steps to correct the problem. Standardized testing data can provide teachers with valuable information to improve classroom and student learning.

The biggest advantage to standardized testing is the standardization. Since all students in a school are taking the same test standardized tests provide an accurate comparison across students. It allows for all students to be held accountable for the same material and levels the playing field in many diverse school systems. When students advance to the next grade, we know that they have all been exposed to the same concepts, despite the demographics of each

Value-added assessment allows the students achievements to be recorded and charted. Using data from their past scores, a projection of future scores in produced. This projection shows the scores a student has gotten and based on those scores it comes up with a goal that the student should attain if they remain academically on track. Value added assessment focuses entirely on individual student success and improvement. There is no comparison between students and therefore there is no pressure on students to fit into a certain percentile or pressure on educators to have every student at the same level. Value-added assessment puts less emphasis on tests and all the emphasis on learning and increasing the students own level of learning.

However, I believe standardized testing is here to say and the key to success in standardized testing is balance. Those in charge need to step back and take into account both the positive and negative aspects of standardized testing. They need to find an even medium to help students and teachers succeed without causing too much stress. Test results should be used as a guide for teachers, parents and students. Results should be used in a limited capacity to assess how well schools are doing. Standardized testing can certainly be used to measure a school’s success, but it should be only one assessment among several that determine