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Why should standardised testing be abolished
Impact standardized tests have on education
Impact standardized tests have on education
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“Sometimes the most brilliant and intelligent students do not shine on standardized test because they do not have standardized minds.” once stated Diane Ravitch. Should students take standardized tests? They shouldn't because it doesn't show what you learn, it makes students stress out, and it takes up too much time during class. First of all, standardized tests gets you ready for college or a job. Like if you go for a job interview they will look at your background to see if you are responsible or not. For example when you go to college they will ask you what is your IQ or what is your average in each class, and once again they will look at your background to see if you are responsible or not. So we need standardized tests for that reason.
One time I heard a teacher at my old high school tell a new teacher that their job is to teach to the test and nothing else. I did not really know what she meant, but I knew something about what she said sounded very wrong. I thought why are they just teaching us how to pass the test instead of just teaching us what we need to know? Later I found out that whether or not I graduate depends on passing the test. The idea of standardized testing to say whether or not students graduate is a bad one. Not just bad for schools, principals, and teachers, but it can mean the end of a student’s future before it begins. That means not only does schools suffer, but everyone in our communities, states, and country suffers. It used to be that students had to take standardized tests every year. The results of these tests said what school districts would get more money or less money for the next school year. And it would also tell schools and teachers if some students needed to be put into higher level programs such as gifted and talented or advanced placement courses or if they were having problems and should be put in special education.
Standardized testing assesses students, teachers, and the school itself, which puts a great deal of pressure on the students. High scores show that the school is effective in teaching students, while low test scores make teachers and schools look as though they are not teaching the students properly. This is not always the case. There are teachers who do teach students what they need to know to pass the test, but their students are still unprepared. Although teachers try to improve instruction, student performance is still variable to other factors that the school cannot control.
The reasons why we have standardized testing today is because of many reasons. The States use it to compare abilities and skills of a student. We also give standardized testing...
Having a standardized test can keep everyone at an equal level in our education system. For example, a teacher by the name of James Ayoc wrote on an online blog, “ the purpose of testing kids is to figure out what they know and are able to do.” (Aycock) Mr. Aycock uses these standardized tests to assay what his students know and are capable of doing. Another reason Mr. Aycock uses his test is to mark his ability to teach. Mr. James also argues that without the use of standardized testing, he would be unable to compare scores to measure
Standardized tests have been around for quite a while now, and are used by a large number of schools. These tests are developed by large educational companies, and because they are distributed to such a large number of schools, they’re used as a standard with which to compare students from the state in which they reside, or across the U.S. Most of these tests are fill in the bubble, multiple-choice, versus essay tests, which are more expensive for the schools to have graded. Some of the better known standardized tests are: SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), ACT (American College Test), CAT (California Achievement Test), ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills), and TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills).
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.
Standardized testing caters to one population of people and one style of learning. These tests are supposed to measure if you are on your grade level but can be extremely ineffective. I remember taking the SAT and them asking questions that I did not know how to solve and it was so long that it made me not want to take it. This creates a problem for students because they figure why take a test I know I am going to fail and that take hours to take. The success rate for that is very low. These tests cater to people that a tolerant enough to sit down for hour and comprehend the work in one particular way but everyone is not tolerant enough for it. Just like one of my old professor said everyone learns and comprehends and has tolerance for a lot of things but taking a test that is four hours long with work that you can’t comprehend because you don’t have enough time to think in that particular section is not fair to every stud...
There are many arguments that are pro standardized testing, such as standardized testing prepares students for their futures and gives all students equality with what they have been taught. As I stated above, even though all students may be given the same standardized test, their education is not equal, and therefore the standardized testing is extremely unfair to use the scores to assess whether or not the students prepared. When we had class debates one of the topics was standardized testing and how it affected our schools, one of the arguments against standardized testing was that the tests are not true to showing off the student’s ability. Many students have severe test anxiety and because of that, their testing scores are not what they
It seems obvious that no student particularly likes any sort of test, but the question is whether or not standardized tests are doing more harm than good. The concern of many educators and parents is that these tests are diminishing any sense of creativity a student may have. Eric Sheninger states his concern,”…we inch closer to an educational system that focuses on test scores as the number one determinant of achievement.” (Sheninger). He has a very valid point. Once you limit a person’s sense of achievement to the score they get on a test, you are risking their entire self worth. Maybe a student is not very good at biology, but they have a very creative eye. What does a standardized test have to show that? Our entire education system now is made up of scientists and mathematicians who have to see numbers and measure things for them to exist. You cannot measure or grade creativity so of course standardized tests do not see these things as necessary, but does this mean they are not important? In 2014 the Fort Lee Board of Education in New Jersey decided nearly unanimously to get rid of some art and home economics classes throughout the high schools and middle schools. These classes consisted of woodworking, power mechanics, dance, foods, interior, fashion and graphic design and auto maintenance. In place of all these classes, the board decided to put in STEM, this stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Students are required to take two of these classes to graduate (Shkolnikova). The board had to get rid of things that “weren’t a necessity”, but shouldn’t each student individually decide what is a necessity depending on their career
It’s an age-old question. Do standardized tests really show what students know? Some may think they are a great way to measure education and others may think that one test does not justify a child’s knowledge. What is this test exactly? A standardized test is any test that requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from a common bank of questions, in the same way. They are used to “judge” or “measure” the knowledge or skills that students learn in school. The problem with these standardized tests is that they measure all students on the same material, leaving out special skills the student may have. It also puts a great deal of stress on a student to know that they will be timed on these questions that
Throughout my educational career, I remember taking standardized exams since I was in second grade. My experience with the standardized test was never a pleasant one. At a certain point, I thought that it would hinder me from going on to the next grade, graduating high school and going to a college of my choice. I always felt that standardized test did not measure my actual intelligence and was frustrated with the concept that comparing students to others, by giving all students a basic multiple choice test, is enough to measure how well each child would do throughout the school. After I had started understanding the ranking system, I started doubting my ability to keep up with my peers, not just in my school but the state. The first exam that
Students should not have to take standardized tests because I think it takes too long, it cost too much money, and it takes too much learning time away from students.
A standardized test is “to assess the aptitudes and achievement of students. These tests have been used to make informed decisions about curriculum and instruction” (Tager 2). Supposedly standardized tests are used to see where students are academically, yet these tests are taken every year and are never actually used. Standardized testing is one of the biggest issues in public schooling, and in my opinion falls under the main reason why there are so many other issues like the ones I have mentioned beforehand in this essay. One reason I believe standardized testing needs to be removed is because of these tests teachers are being paid on how well the students are doing, and I including others believe that the only reason we still have these tests to this day is so the teachers do not have to be paid as much.
Some people say they disagree with what the system is based off and that there really aren't any benefits to having the test. However in many cases standardized test have actually been proven to be very beneficial when it comes to checking on students. The test is designed to bring students together and test them on the material that they have been learning. Not only does standardized test provide students with a score but provide them with an idea of how they are doing in their classes. It also provides the teachers with an idea of how each individual student is doing in certain areas such as math, english, science, and social studies. By allowing standardized test to be given, they can serve an advantageous academic purpose for teachers, students, parents, and schools. By giving students a standardized pre-assessment, one can establish a baseline for growth. It gives one the opportunity to see the true impact and growth they have had in their learning, whether it be the student, teacher, school, or parents. Having standardized test is not necessarily bad because they can provide a lot of information that can be very useful. As suggested by James Aycock, "how would we know what kids know without assessments? That’s the purpose of testing kids – to figure out what they know and are able to do." Having standardized test or assessments are useful and necessary because they provide data based on
If standardized tests were not there then the schools would need to rely on the multiple choice tests that are graded by the machine. procon.org Standardized test can show their teachers and parents how their student is doing in school and on tests. .http://connectusfund.org/10-big-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-standardized - When students take a standardized test, they can see their level of understanding the question. Lots of students take the test they can see their level which level are they on. If students don't take standardized tests, then the professors or teachers would not know how much the students improve during their four years of high