Annotated Bibliography
"College Board-Sponsored Study Claims SAT is Good Predictor of Grades, Graduation." Black Issues in Higher Education 18.7 (2001): 11. ProQuest Central. Web. 16 Sep. 2015.
A scholarly journal written by an anonymous author sheds light on the importance of standardized testing by showing its efficiency in higher level education. This article provides a solid counterargument for the use of standardized tests which is standardized tests being a good source of predicting grades throughout college as well as whether students will stay long enough to graduate. It is also able to establish that the SAT is effective in forecasting a grade-point average through the fourth year as well as predicting students study habits. The
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article then goes on to say how failing to look at SAT scores can result in throwing away potentially important information linked to a student's academic performance and potential success rate in higher educational levels. While the article starts off praising the usefulness of standardized testing, it poses a potential problem in the validity of the argument by pointing out how "SAT scores were never more than 10 percent of an application" says Jane Brown, meaning that students spend too much time and money worrying about a score which will most likely not affect their chances of getting into a higher level educational facility. Overall, the article does a sound job in providing credible and reliable research, mostly by the college board, and serves as a good source of information.This article will be implemented in my argumentative essay by providing a counter argument to my case in order to establish both sides of advocates and critics of standardized testing. It will also serve to make my argument stronger by considering both sides of the debate, making it more persuasive towards the reader. Nielsen, Lisa. "9 Ways to Assess Without Standardized Tests." Technology & Learning 32.11 (2012): 30. ProQuest Central. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. Lisa Nielsen, an innovative educator, winner of the Teacher of the Year by her district as well as many other recognitions for innovative education advocacy, explains in this trade journal how there are many other ways to asses students without the need of standardized testing. She goes on to explain the nine ways in which a school district can asses students without standardized testing. One of which being the assessment of a student's schoolwork, making games to determine a student's level of mastery, taking into account participation in society such as volunteering, real world accomplishments, and much more. Throughout the article, Nielson is able to not only list the many ways of better assessments for student knowledge and apprehension, but is also able to exemplify how much more valuable and accurate they are compared to a "bubble test" by stressing the importance of real world accomplishments, overcoming real life challenges, and many others factors. This article is able to support the notion that standardized testing should not be held accountable for fully assessing students in their academic capabilities. It also acts as a good source for indicating the various other ways in which a student can be assessed without the need of standardized tests. I plan to incorporate this source into my argumentative essay by using some of Nielsen's solutions for assessing students without standardized tests. It will also serve as a good argument for stretching how the single use of a test does not determine a student's true potential compared to a variety of other measurements as stated by the author. Stahlman, Rebecca. "Standardized Tests: A Teachers Perspective." Childhood Education 81.4 (2005): 242-3. ProQuest Central. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. Rebecca Stahlman, a National Board certified teacher and instructor, gives her own perspective on standardized testing and expresses her indignation about the standardized testing situation based on her own personal experience with her students.
She explains how standardized tests, such as the one her students took, were designed with numerous interference techniques, included questions which were above-grade material, and were administered with inadequate time to answer the questions being presented. Stahlman goes on to express her frustration with a standardized test which was administered to her students by saying "I watched in horror as my precious students, who were gifted poets and writers, inquisitive scientists and mathematicians, lovers of books, remarkable artists, and caring learners, were forced to silently attempt to master a test that was designed to trip them up." (Stahlman 242) The author also states how these standardized tests seem to be high-stakes in nature due to schools being labeled and ranked according to their scores and teachers being rewarded due to their students achievement in these tests. This article serves as one of my stronger arguments for my case compared to my other sources, due to its exemplification of how the proliferation of such tests is alarming and how the standardized testing of students at such a young age is not appropriate due to their cognitive development. The article is also useful in the sense that is provides a valid and sound argument for the opposition of standardized testing. I will be implementing this source into my argumentative essay by providing examples from Stahlman's text on how bizarre standardized testing might seem when it comes to the assessment of students, especially at such a young age. It will also serve as a good source for proving how much of a bearing standardized tests hold on the assessment of not only students but teachers as
well. Todson, Ivory A. "Editor's Comment: When Standardized Tests Miss the Mark." The Journal of Negro Education 81.3 (2012): 181, 185, 302. ProQuest Central. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. Ivory A Todson, the Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Negro Education, explains how standardized testing is affecting racial minorities such as Black and Hispanic students who essentially end up scoring lower on almost every known measure of education achievement compared to Whites and Asians. He goes on to say how the parents of these children are almost helpless in the fact that the schools respond by blaming them or attributing the issue to social inequities and cultural depravation. The author goes on to talk about the true inequality in the scoring of these tests as well as how standardized tests end up being preventative measures against minorities trying to enter into elite colleges, gifted programs, etc. Todson also examines the "achievement gap" and how test companies counter these accusations with giving inadequate excuses. The main strengths in this article are shown in its ability to show how not only do standardized tests undermine students ability to truly show their potential but how they are also bias towards racial minorities, thus advocating for a change in the way students are assessed. The article is also able to support the notion that racial minorities lack reading proficiency dually in part of the testing administration as well as the fact that standardized tests often times hold these students back in terms of progressing further into higher educational opportunities. I will be incorporating this source into my argumentative essay by showing the unjust and bias factor of standardized testing when it comes to racial minorities. It will also serve as valid proof of how certain students are held back solely due to a single standardized test despite their other academic achievements.
Parents and advocates of education can all agree that they want their students to be in the best hands possible in regards to education. They want the best teachers, staffs, and schools to ensure their student’s success. By looking at the score results from standardized testing, teachers can evaluate effectively they are doing their job. On the other side, a proponent for eliminating standardized testing would argue that not all students care passionately about their education and will likely not perform to expectations on the test. However, receiving the numerical data back, teachers can construe the student’s performances and eliminate the outliers of the negligent kids. Teachers can then look at the individual scores and assign those outliers to get the help they need in school. This helps every student getting an equal chance at education. Overall, taking a practice standardized test can let a teacher look at individual questions and scores and interpret what they need to spend more time on teaching. A school also can reap the benefits from standard testing to ensure they are providing the best possible education they can. The school can look at the average scores from a group and hold the teacher accountable for the student’s results on the test. The school can then determine the best course of action to pursuit regarding the teacher’s career at the school. By offering teachers and schools the opportunity to grow and prosper, standardized testing is a benefit for the entire education
Americans overwhelmingly think there is too much emphasis on standardized testing in public schools and that test scores are not the best way to judge schools, teachers or students, according to a national poll.
Standardized tests have been used to see how much a child has learned over a certain period of time. These tests have been a highly debated issue with many parents and just people in general. In the article “Opting out of standardized tests? Wrong answer,” the author Michelle Rhee argues that people should not be trying to opt out of standardized tests because it allows the country to see how much a child has learned and the things they need to improve. On the other hand, in the article “Everything You’ve Heard About Failing Schools Is Wrong,” the author Kristina Rizga argues that standardized tests are not an efficient way to measure a student’s intelligence.
Since the U.S. Congress passed the No Child Left Behind program, standardized testing has become the norm for American schools. Under this system, each child attending a school is required to take a standardized test at specific grade points to assess their level of comprehension. Parents, scholars and all stakeholders involved take part in constant discussions over its effectiveness in evaluating students’ comprehension, teachers’ competency and the effects of the test on the education system. Though these tests were put in place to create equality, experts note that they have created more inequality in the classroom. In efforts to explore this issue further, this essay reviews two articles on standardized testing. This essay reviews the sentiments of the authors and their insight into standardized examination. The articles provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate that standardized tests are not effective at measuring a teacher’s competency because they do not take into account the school environment and its effect on the students.
Students dread the time of the year when they stop with their course material and begin to prepare for test. Everyone is in agreement that some type of revolution is needed when it comes to education; eliminating standardized test will aid the reform. The need for standardized testing has proven to be ineffective and outdated; some leading educationalist also believe this because the tests do not measure a student’s true potential. This will save money, stop labeling, and alleviate stress in students and teachers.
tests were primarily employed as measures of student achievement that could be reported to parents, and as a means of noting state and district trends (Moon 2) . Teachers paid little attention to these tests, which in turn had little impact on curriculum. However, in the continuing quest for better schools and high achieving students, testing has become a central focus of policy and practice. 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 an accurate assessment. The idea is that these similarities allow the highest degree of certainty in comparing result...
Standardized testing scores proficiencies in most generally accepted curricular areas. The margin of error is too great to call this method effective. “High test scores are generally related to things other than the actual quality of education students are receiving” (Kohn 7). “Only recently have test scores been published in the news-paper and used as the primary criteria for judging children, teachers, and schools.”(2) Standardized testing is a great travesty imposed upon the American Public School system.
Standardized tests are a tremendous part of most schools’ curriculum in the United States today. These tests are assessments of students’ knowledge on either one or more subjects. Standardized tests are a performance evaluation of students, teachers, and schools due to their importance. A standardized test is distinctive from other tests in two ways. One, it has common questions being answered in the same way and two, it is being scored in a consistent style allowing for comparative performance. Through extensive research Oliver’s and Visone’s statements and overall research have several key differences that shape their own separate arguments. Though their thesis and hypothesis have the same underlying idea that there is a problem with` standardized
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.
Standardized testing in the United States is not always a common practice. In the Mid-1800s, Horace Mann, an education reformist, developed a test to administer to a group of students. Its purpose was to determine how students were performing at their current level and whether they were capable of proceeding to a higher level of education, although the student’s success on the test had no negative repercussions. These tests were a necessity at that time because the idea of public education was still being molded and these tests were the only means by which student progress could be measured. Within 35 years of the first recorded examination in 1845, testing became the factor which determined whether students were able to be promoted to the next grade.
The purpose of this review is to explore the effects of standardized testing on elementary students as well as the impact on teachers. This literature review is in no way an all-inclusive review of all available information on the topic of test anxiety. The reviewed literature was found through Arkansas Tech’s online library database using the search terms: “standardized test anxiety”, “test anxiety elementary”, and “high stakes tests elementary.” There are many questions to be answered concerning standardized test anxiety. How do students perceive high stakes testing? Do students experience heightened anxiety in relation to testing? What types of psychological, physiological, and behavioral reactions occur prior to, during, or after standardized testing? How does standardized testing affect teachers, schools, and parents? What behaviors do parents and teachers observe to indicate anxiety? How is test anxiety measured? The following research literature review attempts to find answers to these questions.
What I plan to research for my project is why exactly do we always have to take standardized tests in school for elementary students. The reason I want to research this is because the state always gives some standard test for all students to take . I don’t understand why we have to give these tests to elementary students. I want to find the real reason why we take standardized tests in the first place.Is it for other states to know how smart our students are when it comes to testing ? Another thing that I wonder about is why does the state have kids take PARCC for elementary schools around the country.
Upon gaining the results of these tests, government and education boards try to help further plan education in order to allow a student to learn better. However, standardized tests may lead a student to a grade-conscious mindset, and an effect of the standardization of testing is that many students are learning only to memorize material, rather than to think through and synthesize learned information. Therefore, standardized testing is not a reliable or credible way of evaluating students. Rather than getting rid of standardized testing, alternative solutions to standardized testing such as making it an option to send in standardized test scores when applying for school, which allows for a college to base a student on their extra-curricular activities or non-scholarly skills should be implemented
The author addresses paper and pencil tests with no special accommodations, and analyses trends throughout past decades. He also writes of the new era of standardized testing and accountability. Stiggins suggests that while standardized testing may be useful and effective in some aspects, most are not used correctly and that the high-stakes put intense pressure on teachers, making it difficult to actually complete their job which is to teach students new skills. They simply spend their time reviewing already learned skills to ensure good scores on exams.
For my research paper, I will be delving into the idea of standardized testing. Standardized tests are every student’s least two favorite words. They are tests you take to determine “how well your teacher taught you”, the kind of student you are, or for college preparation. The main point of my paper will be to get educators to understand that standardized tests have no place in school. From elementary to high school and everywhere in between, standardized testing is not only is useless and have no place in schools, it is also unethical. I will analyze primarily state testing to prove my point. To further it, I will analyze tests that are required or will increase your odds of getting into your local or dream college. The main point of including tests such as the SAT, ACT and AP examinations is because I want to show we prepare so much time for nothing. In college, there are no standardized tests to prove a teacher did their job, or a student is proficient at math or english.