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effectiveness of standardized testing
the importance of standardized tests
standardized testing impact on schools
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State tests have existed as a main subject is high school for many years now. It
almost all schools today students must pass these tests to graduate from high school. These tests
are a very controversial topic, many pros and cons go along with the subject of state test. Some
people believe that these tests help with students' education, and they should have to pass these
tests to graduate from high school; others disagree and think these tests just cause more stress for
students. Students spend their time in high school learning more about taking state tests when
they could use more of their time learning skills that would aid them in their future life.
However, a few positive aspects of these tests do exist. There are some people that view
state tests as a way to compare students on how well they are learning or studying for these tests.
It is said that students tests scores from all over can be compared to see how they are all doing
and who may be doing better. Once these scores have been compared, all of the different school’s
scores can be averaged and these averages can be put together to see which schools are having
the most success. The schools with the highest success rate of scores on these tests can then be
rewarded for their work (Standardized Tests 1).
Another advantage of state tests has to do with the teachers of the state tests subjects.
The teachers who teach these classes often refer to this as “teaching to the test.” This basically
means that these teachers have more of a guide to what they must teach these students. They
always know what these students will need to know for these tests. These teachers have to prepare to supply all the material to the students that they will ne...
... middle of paper ...
...uation requirements should not require students to pass state tests.
Works Cited
Meador, Derrick. "Standardized Testing." About.com Teaching. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Panden, Kundan. “Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing.” Buzzle.com.Buzzle.com, 26
Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.
"Standardized Tests - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., 05 Feb. 2014. Web.26 Feb. 2014
Paul, Annie Murphy. “Relax, It’s Only A Test.” Time 181.5 (2013): 42. Middle Search Plus. Web. 20 Feb. 2014
Margie, . N.p.. Web. 28 Feb 2014. .
Whitney, Sue. "Getting Help for Children Who Have Reading Problems by Sue Whitney, Research Editor Wrightslaw." Getting Help for Children Who Have Reading Problems by Suzanne Whitney. Wrightslaw, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
To teach to the test or trust the child; is the question in today’s education. Over the past twenty years state curriculum standards have changed. Teachers need to make the choice on how to teach the children in their classroom. In today’s society where testing runs the educational world, a teacher must decide how to prepare students for standardized testing.
Standardized testing in Texas public schools has parents and teachers furious. It is an argument of Texas Legislature versus those who oppose. Student will take about 17 of these tests before entering high school (Smith A17A). Texas schools are currently conflicted with taking the STAAR tests as it brings upon many arguments. The disadvantages seem to rule out the few advantages test makers tried to pass. Rather than helping students see where they stand, it makes students feel as if they do not stand a chance.
Every state in the United States has different standards and expectations for public education. For example, some states require an exit exam in high school whereas others do not. One reasoning for this is because of test scores. Explained in an article titled “High School Exit Exams: Issues to Consider,” is that some states have a high number of students that are failing the exams, and so they either lower the standards or remove the test in order to raise the graduation rate at the end of the year (GreatSchools staff, n.d., p. 2). Setting lower standards is causing major problems for the United States as a whole because it reflects poorly on the nation’s report card. In the case of Nevada and Wisconsin, both states differ f...
Almost state has gained federal funding from accumulating the test data from all of their schools (Ravitch 107). Data collected from multiple choice questions determines the intelligence of every student and their teachers. The test data is tracked throughout their lifetime in relation to their test scores, graduation dates and other statistics companies such as Amazon and Microsoft use to evaluate different groups (by age, ethnicity, etc) as a whole (Ravitch 107). Ravitch claims there are many problems with this, mainly, tests do not measure character, spirit, heart, soul, and potential (112). Not everyone is the same, and just because one may be weak in math or writing doesn’t mean they’re not smart, resourceful individuals with much to share with the world. For schools to be even seen with a slight amount more than just their test scores, they have to be in great standings with their students’ average test results. The government’s intense focus on test results hurts schools’ ability to be a well-rounded school immensely. In contrast to federal’s pinpoint focus on what students learn, educated consumers desire their kids to have a full, balanced, and rich curriculum (Ravitch 108). Schools need to be more than housing for test-takers. The Education Board may claim students’ proficiency in their testing makes them better people, prepares them for college, and ultimately, the workforce. What they are
The problem in our United States schools is that when standardized testing is taken, there is no way to me...
Throughout the United States standardized testing is a popular way that educators measure a student’s academic ability. Although it may seem like a good idea to give a bunch of students the same test and see how each one does, it is not that simple. The results do not represent how smart a student is or a student's potential to do great things in the real world. In taking a standardized test one student may have a greater advantage over another for many reasons. Reasons that are not shown in the standardized test score.
These standardized tests are used by schools because they find that it is an easy way to test a student’s ability. However, the issue in doing this is for example, the ACT is all multiple choice. Exams such as these do not give the option to include worded feedback to show that you at least know something about the subject. Multiple choice exams have this problem, they can’t test the information that a person fully knows, it only tests whether they chose the right answer or possibly just guessed it. With only a slew of multiple choice questions it can be easy to get a “good” score or a “bad” score. That’s why these tests are flawed, the results they show don’t prove anything or really show anything for that matter.
Providing states with more flexibility in determining how standardized tests are weighed. States are now allowed to include other forms of measurement of student and school performance.
It is not in America’s best interest to pass the proposal to require standardized testing at elementary school levels, or to force students to pass exit exams to earn their diplomas. If we wish for our children to be informed and educated, and ready to survive on their own in the real world, we need to give them the tools that will get them there. These tests are not accurate, and they are detrimental to the education of children. There should be no debate over how our representatives in Congress should vote on this bill.
Standardized tests are used to measure academic success, but they are not a fair or accurate measurement tool. If a student is achieving good grades in class but fails to pass a state test, there is obviously a flaw in the system. Many of today's standardized tests are written so that only middle-class, English-speaking students can succeed. Standardized tests are often multiple-choice and rely on mental tasks rather than on spatial or visual abilities. As a result, these tests often reflect a student's disabilities. For example, standardized tests assume that each student will read each question in the same manner. However, research proves that each student processes words differently (Kohn, 2000). The case against standardized tests is not new. Banesh Hoffman, professor of mathematics, stated, "Multiple choice tests pena...
Standardized testing is a deeply flawed system. The American government continues to throw money at a program that has little or no hope of achieving the goals it set at its inception. The important message is that no test is valid for all purposes and “high stakes” decisions should not be made on the basis of a single test score. Test scores provide only a small picture of student achievement or potential (APA 2014).
Standardized testing remains to be a major controversial issue for the American society today. Exams are given to students at different levels in their educational career and are supposed to measure their academic knowledge, but are these tests really the best way to evaluate students? There have been numerous alternatives suggested to replace or be used in conjunction with standardized testing.
Exit Exams are an unfair way of determining whether a student should or should not receive his or her diploma. Most students work very hard throughout high school to receive good grades. This should be enough to determine whether a student should pass high school. There are many intelligent students which do not have good test taking skills, exit exams keep many good students from graduating and teachers have to narrow their lesson plans for these types of exit exams. These are all good reasons why exit exams should not be required in graduating from high school.
“The Tests Don’t Measure Achievement Adequately.” The Myths of Standardized Test: Why They Don’t Tell You What You Think They Do. N.p.: Hoover Institution, 2011. 33-45.
A well created test can measure learning and diagnose a student’s weakness (Merrow, 4). In testing, the idea is for the student to get the correct answer on information they know and incorrect answers on the information they do not. However, a testing error may occur. A testing error is when a student gets an answer correct of information they did not actually know or an answer incorrect, they may have actually known (Gellman, 30)The people who create these tests want straightforward measures. However, test designers do not design these tests to measure what a student can do academically (Fusaro, 1). Large testing companies produce tests and sell them all over the country. This causes the test to be not specialized for the school or county and students do not do as well as they could have if the test was specialized (Popham, 4).three possible ways of testing a student’s knowledge exists: multiple choices, answer in essay form, or they are asked to perform a task and then graded on the performance (Merrow, 5). Some tests are designed to assess an individual’s performance, like an