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The truth about standardized tests
Academic argument about standardized testing
The truth about standardized tests
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Standardized testing can be a very controversial topic. The usage of standardized tests has increased since the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) required yearly standardized tests in all 50 states. Standardized tests were made to hold both teachers and students accountable, but in recent years, the U.S has fallen behind in various subjects educational wise. Most students in todays’ society are pressured by their school districts to excel on standardized tests. Standardized tests have been around for many years. Standardized testing has many effects on the mental and physical health of students and limits students from learning how to do lifelong skills.
Standardized testing has been around for hundreds of years. The first recorded use
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Standardized tests only focus on cognitive dimensions and ignore other qualities that are essential to student success. English and Language Arts teachers are known to help students develop skills such as curiosity, thoroughness, perseverance, and sociability. Due to the number of standardized tests that the English and Language Arts teachers are required to administer, they do not have time to focus on those skills (National Council of Teachers of English). Math teachers are not able to teach students how to do skills that they will need in their adult lives, such as how to file taxes and how to write checks. Instead, they must teach their students how to pass a test. Since the adoption of the standardized testing initiatives in recent years, ample amounts of material must be taught by teachers quickly, and they must adapt to changes in technology. Most educators’ performances in the classroom has decreased dramatically due to job security, financial stability, and professional worth (Cox). Teachers depend on their jobs, so they cram massive amounts of curriculum into students in hopes that students excel in the standardized tests just so they can keep their
“Students are taking between ten and twenty standardized tests, depending on the grade. A total average of one hundred thirteen different ones by graduation.”(Locker) A few years ago the United States, along with other nations, was given a test to assess the academic strengths and weaknesses of each nation and rank them accordingly. When the results were released and the United States was ranked near the bottom, it was decided to start incorporating more testing through school. Between benchmark, TLI, PARCC, and common core standards, teaching technique was forced to change. Standardized testing has had a negative effect on teachers and students, implementing inadequate grading standards and the common core curriculum, such testing has made
Do you like being bombarded with the stress of having to take so many tests? In 1845 the US brought standardized testing in the subjects spelling, geography, and math into public schools (Standardized Testing 1). Standardized tests were made to swiftly assess students abilities (Standardized Testing 1). The No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 mandated testing in all 50 states. In the article, “Standardized Tests,” it states that “US students slipped from 18th in the world in math in 2000 to 31st place in 2009, with a similar decline in science and no change in reading” (Use of Standardized Tests 5). Blame of the decline in rates are on poverty levels, teacher quality, tenure policies, and increasingly on the pervasive use
Garcia-Pelayo2students, one can find oneself surprised when we learn that each state spends roughly “$1.7billion a year” (Ujifusa 1) on standardized testing. Money for standardized testing if being spentbefore students even set their eyes on a college application, and definitely before they start fillingout their applications. Standardized tests are expensive, and usually required too. Unless astudent knows for sure that the school they’re applying to, and getting accepted to, does notrequire standardized tests, spending those $65 dollars is almost inevitable. What most studentsconsider “back-up schools” might not need high grades, but at the very least they need thesatisfaction of knowing that you took a test and that they have a number by
Standardized testing is not the best way to measure how well a teacher teaches or how much a student has learned. Schools throughout the United States put their main focus on standardized tests; these examinations put too much pressure on the teachers and students and cause traumatizing events. Standardized testing puts strain on teachers and students causing unhealthy occurrences, Common Core is thrown at teachers with no teaching on how to teach the new way which dampers testing scores for all students, and the American College Test determines whether a child gets into college or not based on what they have learned during high school. Standardized tests are disagreeable; tests should not determine ranking of people.
Many people agree that standardized tests are a reasonable evaluation of a student’s capability. Standardized tests originated in the mid-1800s, in the American education system. W. James Popham defines standardized testing by “any test that’s administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard, predetermined manner” (“Is the Use of…,” 2013). After the No Child Left behind Act (NCLB) came about in the early 2000s, the use of standardized testing became popular. NCLB required yearly testing for specific grades and subjects. If schools did not demonstrate adequate improvement, they were either closed or run by the state. This was done so the state and the tax payers of the schools knew that students were learning and knowing the material. Tax payers especially wanted to make sure their money was going to good use (“Is the Use of…,” 2013). High scores on standardized tests can result in funding for the school, along with bonuses to the facility and staff of the school.
Who, what, when, where, why? Curiosity is always persistent in the younger years, and society should encourage this. The trouble is, the United States education system is, unknowingly, doing everything in its power to destroy students’ natural want to learn. Much to the joy of every student in the U.S., what the educational system is doing can certainly be undone. Currently, the U.S. uses standardized testing such as the SAT, the ACT, and state mandated tests like Ohio’s AIR testing to assess an individual’s knowledge. The scores received on these standardized tests can determine if the student graduates or gets in to their preferred college, or even if a teacher gets to keep their job (“Standardized Tests” 10). Not only
Standardized testing is not an effective way to test the skills and abilities of today’s students. Standardized tests do not reveal what a student actually understands and learns, but instead only prove how well a student can do on a generic test. Schools have an obligation to prepare students for life, and with the power standardized tests have today, students are being cheated out of a proper, valuable education and forced to prepare and improve their test skills. Too much time, energy, and pressure to succeed are being devoted to standardized tests. Standardized testing, as it is being used presently, is a flawed way of testing the skills of today’s students.
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.
There are so many students that are very smart, but cannot pass standardized test.How does these test affect the students future. Students walk through hallways having so many thinks in there minds. Kids believe that why do we take so many test when there are not necessary. Teachers are tired of having to do test for finals and helping us get ready for our eocs.My paper is about how we can stop standardize test ,how can we help in not having too many test, and studying too much.
Your hand quivers as you fill in the ‘c’ bubble. You hesitate, realizing there’s no way they would have put so many ‘c’s in a row. An anxious shudder thunders across your skin, leaving yet another trail of goosebumps in its wake. The next three questions seem to be of an entirely different language and you eventually fill them in with a random assortment of ‘a’s and ‘b’s. This trend continues throughout the morning as you answer endless questions about genetic variations and the application of trigonometric ratios. By the time you are dismissed, you are a nervous wreck. Lunch passes in a daze, your mind locked on the rest of the tests you have ahead of you for the afternoon.
Standardized tests have been a big political issue in today's society. Standardized tests are used to measure a student's performance in a subject. In a standardized test all answers are the same. Standardized tests should not be required because tests cost a lot of money, narrow the curriculum, and they are an unreliable measure of student achievement.
Standardized testing is a very controversial topic. However, Standardized testing will be amongst students every year. With the transition from PSATs to SAT and other tests, you’ll know that this topic will never leave people’s minds. Standardized testing examines a student’s accomplishments on one day and does not take in other factors. There are a handful of people who don’t perform well on exams.
The use of standardized testing in public schools was mandated in 2001 by George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind Act and is supported by the Obama administration. In recent years, it has triggered an expanding controversy against standardized tests and the use of students' scores to evaluate teachers, schools, districts, and states. Some individuals argue that standardized testing benefits students, teachers, and schools by ensuring that they are held accountable. The truth is standardized testing does not accurately reflect student’s abilities and is potentially hurting today’s students.
Testing has always been very difficult for me. I get very nervous and I often have anxiety attacks. I hate multiple choice questions. I always freeze up and my reasoning skills go out the door. I know that having a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) didn’t help when it came to taking tests.
To expand, when universities try to judge the academic performance of a students, they cannot receive different testing method from various regions and schools for the time and energy limitations. In this situation, the existence of standardized test is like a savior of those who suppose to suffer from tiredness to check the grading system of diverse testing. “[ Pro&Con Arguments: “Is the Use of Standardized Test Improving Education in American?” . Standardized Test-ProCon.org. 18 Nov 2015.