Standardized Testing Argumentative Essay

428 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Standardized tests do more harm than good

There is hardly a student alive who can hear the words ‘standardized testing’ and not recoil in a mix of disgust and horror. Now a necessity for any student wanting to go to college, standardized testing is a process, through tests in math, reading, science, etc., of weeding out the weak and intellectually uninclined to choose the strongest gladiator of test-takers, of whom colleges will throw money at, or perhaps even select out of the many other gladiators of many other schools to go to their prestigious ivy-league school. This description is a fairly transparent presenter of my thoughts about standardized testing, but these are made more out of personal experience than factual evidence. After all, this system must exist for a reason. Is it good for schools? What are the effects on students, teachers, test-making companies, and colleges? How did it come to be, and should it have this power over colleges at all?
This issue is compelling to me because I am directly involved with it. I recently have taken the ACT yet again this past weekend, which will mark the third time I have sat in a room for four hours and filled in bubbles. I believe myself to …show more content…

Standardized tests are also consistent and unbiased, with a great indicator of what one’s score will be without much room for extreme error, according to Estimating the Costs and Benefits of Educational Testing Program by Richard Phelps, Ph.D. on education-consumers.com. Standardized tests are also essentially irrelevant outside of the school system, as very, very few workplaces require the skills needed for standardized tests, outside of generic traits of determination. That one is a give

Show More
Related

  • The Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    Standardized testing is a down fall to many students but also an opportunity for many others. Standardized testing has its pros and its cons. It can be the make it or break it factor into getting into colleges you are hoping to attend or the scholarships you want to earn. Some people may have their opinions about the test, whether they hate it or not but the fact is that it’s here to stay.

    Read More

  • Standardized Testing Argument Essay

    1662 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Standardized Testing is NOT Effective

    2388 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • 1920s: Disillusionment And Moral Decay

    1465 Words  | 3 Pages

    Vibha Kandikattu Mr. Guzman English 11 L4 19 March 2024. The American Dream in the 1920s: Disillusionment and Moral Decay The 1920s, often romanticized as the Roaring Twenties, stands as a pivotal era in American history characterized by profound social, cultural, and economic shifts.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Standardized Testing

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    Along with the effects that grades can place on to students, comes the topic of whether or not testing students on their academic abilities through the use of grades given by standardized testing is necessary for a student’s academic success. Some people argue that standardized testing is a valuable asset to the overall education system in the United States, however others speak differently on the subject. In an article written by a college student named Joshua Palackal, he states in his submission, "In case you did not know, standardized tests are exams created by testing companies. These tests are used to evaluate what students in different states and school districts have learned. However, these exams are not as innocent as they seem. Before,

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Standardized Testing

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    “If my future were determined just by my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn't be here. I guarantee you that.” This quote by Michelle Obama illustrates the idea that standardized testing should not have such a large influence on education in America. However, a majority of people are under the impression that standardized tests are an accurate method to measure a person's intellectual ability. I believe that standardized tests have developed into a very critical part of the American education system; that is hindering the growth of students and teachers instead of providing a tool that can accurately measure knowledge.

    Read More

  • Standardized Testing Persuasive Essay

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    You walk into school and you’re calm and relaxed feeling okay and ready to do the work in school. Once you walk into your english class you find out the class has to take a test, multiple choice and a few short answers. Once you hear that, your heart starts racing, you get shaky and you’re nervous. You suddenly forget everything you’ve known on the topic that the standardized test is on. You sit in your seat, waiting for the test to be handed to you, thinking if it’ll be too difficult or a piece of cake. Your teacher hands out the tests to the class and announces: “Okay everyone! This test is counted as a big grade and will let me know if you’ve been paying attention all these months. Do your best! You may begin.” The moment that is said you hope to do well so that you won’t fail and are more nervous than you were when you first started, and that’s how you begin and end your test.

    Read More

  • Standardized Testing Argumentative Essay

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    More and more, in order to boost test scores, teachers are doing what is known as "teaching to the test". They know what the test will want, even if it isn't useful information, so they simply tell the students what they need to pass. The emphasis on standardized tests means that even if there is something interesting, useful, compelling or otherwise helpful to the student, it will be ignored because it is not going to be on the test. Most classes consist of taking tests, or preparing to take tests. With tests that teach hardly anything that is actually helpful to the student’s understanding of the world, this is not a good thing.

    Read More

  • Should Standardized Tests Be Mandatory?

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    In particular, there is one frightening thing about these tests; they stress students out to a whole new level. These tests must be passed in order to proceed to the next grade. In some cases, a cumulative score must be achieved in order to graduate. If this score is not reached, the student cannot graduate until the points are made up. It takes an average of seven months for a student to receive their scores. For months, students are left wondering if they earned enough points to pass. Thinking about their score can cause them to worry and not focus clearly on the school work they need to complete. In order to benefit from a high school education, a full attention span is required. After some recent studies, people are finding

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Standardized Testing

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    Time seems to be moving at a relatively slower pace than usual. It’s theoretically not possible but every student who is taking a standardized test will have to disagree. What’s a Standardized test you ask, well it’s the all-around test that evaluates a student’s performance in school, which helps for both the student and the school to improve their academics in the future.

    Read More

  • Why Is Standardized Testing Unnecessary

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a standardized test is defined as "a test, administered according to standardized procedures, that assesses a student's aptitude by comparison with a standard". These supposedly identical testing procedures are meant to ensure the reliability of the results, so they can be used to further students’ education. However, evidence suggests that standardized testing isn’t benefiting schools and students as it was intended to. Overall, standardized testing is unnecessary because it negatively affects students by inadequately preparing them for further education, burdening them with additional stress in high school, and the tests are generally a waste of money and resources.

    Read More

  • Standardized Testing Argumentative Essay

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    Standardized tests were first brought into schools to evaluate students and keep schools and teachers accountable, but instead of helping, these tests only harm student development. These tests make teachers change the way they teach. For example, instead of enforcing creative and critical thinking, students now are taught in a superficial and generic way. Students are not receiving a broad education like they once were. The tests try to treat all students the same instead of focusing on how well they work, how they communicate with their peers, or what piques their interest.

    Read More

  • What Are The Pros And Cons Of Being Standardized

    2221 Words  | 5 Pages

    Now, twenty-first century students are experiencing excessive testing with year-long preparation. Curriculum for classes is based around preparing students for the tests, encouraging memorization and not allowing students to fully learn certain topics. Certain aspects of standardized tests are pressed for debate; critics believe that ethnicity and personal backgrounds of certain students are put at a disadvantage as well as the preparation leading up to tests including the SAT and ACT being immoderate. The diverse student body every year, all around the world, is not capable of being accurately tested by taking standardized tests. The narrow curriculum coverage, discriminatory format against minorities and strenuous hours of cramming and memorization leading up to standardized tests prove the unreliable nature of the ACT and SAT as accurate measurements of a student’s aptitude for

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing In Schools

    1638 Words  | 4 Pages

    Did you know that seventy percent of educators of a survey do not regard standardized tests are helpful to their students, and the students agree. Standardized testing began in the late 1800s when entrance exams were used with colleges, and when a French psychologist named Alfred Binet creates a standardized test for intelligence. His test becomes a basis for the modern I.Q. test. Later, standardized testing was moved toward the military to place soldiers in positions best suited for them. Finally, standardized tests came to the educational system in the early 1900s (History of Standardized Testing in the United States). It has continuously been perfected since then, except that there are still problems with the tests themselves and with the

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Test Scores

    1411 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imagine you have this dream of where you want to go to college and what you want to major in but that dream is put to a halt when you can’t get one single test score. Just because you have dream of where you want to go to college doesn’t mean that you are necessarily going to be able to go there which is sad. Because colleges rely so much on test scores, those dreams that kids once had can be stripped away in an instant. Colleges have started solely relying on standardized test scores like the ACT and SAT to determine if students get accepted or what scholarships they will receive. I personally have been affected by this in the way that for a scholarship my high school GPA is high enough but my ACT score does not meet the required criteria.

    Read More

More about Standardized Testing Argumentative Essay

Open Document