Standardized Testing: The Generalization Of Students

Standardized Testing: The Generalizing of Students

Nelson Mandela once stated, "Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to

change the world." Nelson Mandela is one of most famous and idolized people in history. Education is the key to success. In today's society, success in education is measured by achieving good grades and generating high ACT or SAT scores. Standardized tests like the American College Test (ACT) and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) are heavily relied upon by colleges. Colleges base students' intelligence on these scores. Standardized testing is the most common method of measuring student growth and progress. A standardized test is a test that requires all test-takers to answer the same questions. Their results are then

compared to the scores of others. Standardized testing is a topic that is being debated in many presidential debates. The government is partially to blame for the standardized testing debate. In 2002, the United States passed the "No Child Left Behind Act". According to Dianne Feinstein, a United States Senator, the No Child Left Behind Act "requires states and school districts to ensure that all students are learning and are reaching their highest potential. Special education students should not be left out of these accountability mechanisms" (Feinstein). To make this possible, the government changed education standards and school curriculum in order to have success on standardized tests. The
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scores from these tests are used to determine the overall intelligence of the student and to measure their yearly progress.

Standardized testing is an ineffective method of determining intelligence among students if we continue to use it incorrectly because it affects the teachers in the classroom, generalizes students, grades your ability to answer questions to only three to four subjects, kills the creativity in the classroom, creates winners and losers among students, and it has the ability to change a person's future job.

Intelligence is defined as the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills (Oxford English Dictionary). This is the ability to apply skills to any situation or subject, not just few generic subjects. Standardized tests measure a person's ability in the subjects of math, reading, and science. A person's intelligence should not be based solely on these subjects. In their defense, these questions require students to use the skills they have learned which justifies a portion of a person's intelligence, but only a small portion. Colleges will receive scores from these exams and will grant scholarships based upon them. When money is involved, students are willing to strive for higher scores to save more money in the future. To achieve higher scores on standardized tests, students are willing to put in more extensive hours of study before taking the

exam.
Students are not the only people affected by standardized testing. They need someone to teach them. Teachers have to work longer and harder hours in order to improve students' test scores. Andreas Schleicher, a statistician and researcher in the field of education, claims "Teachers in the United States spend between 1,050 and 1,100 hours each year teaching. This is much more than almost every other country" (Schleicher). In fact, certain schools around the
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United States have the ability to change teachers based upon the success of their students' test scores. A school's main focus should be to educate students in various subjects and not concentrate on preparing students for standardized tests like the ACT and SAT.
"The obsession with raising student standardized test scores is leading to a one-size-fits-all curriculum that ignores the needs of individual students," states Valerie Strauss, an education reporter for The Washington Post (Strauss).

Education is not a one size fits all concept. Every student learns different subjects at different speeds. All students have their strengths and weaknesses but standardized tests only test on a few subjects. For instance, these tests will not grade the ability to communicate with others. They will not score the ability to problem solve or think outside the box using our imagination.

Andy Hudlow, a staff writer at Benilde- Saint Margaret's school in Saint Loius Park, proclaims his views on standardized testing:

The goal of standardized testing is not to find out how well you think through problems, or if you can express your opinions, or create a presentation, the goal is to find out what you were able to memorize. The more inconsequential details you can churn out, the smarter colleges will perceive you to be. The intense effort it takes to truly perform well on these tests means that students have less and less time to focus on their actual schoolwork in the hardest years of high

school.
If parents and education officials are searching for ways to lower stress levels of high school students, they need to look no further than reducing the
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pressure placed on students over standardized testing. Tests such the ACT and the SAT serve only as stressors to students, without achieving their goals of giving colleges an accurate representation of the skills and knowledge they can offer. Students should focus on developing their own intelligence and learning information relevant to their lives, not memorizing the answers to a test that serves no discernible purpose (Hudlow).
Standardized tests are always on the same repetitive subjects: English, math, and science. Standardized testing has an immense impact on what our schools teach every day. The high school systems are required to make us take these classes because our state and government standards require them in order to receive a diploma. Since our society relies so heavily on scores from these tests, students tend to worry about their scores and grades. Grades create levels or classes of people just like money does. Students who receive straight A's receive the impersonation of being "good" kids. The collection of students who struggle in school and get D's are often believed to be unintelligent or bad students. Since grades create this class system and parents expect good grades from their kids, students worry less about the experience of learning and worry more about their letter grade at the end of the trimester. Parents get
frustrated with their kids for not getting good grades which explains why the only thing a student cares about is the final grade on the report card. High school students lose their creativity through the grading system. Schools should promote more classes that require enthusiasm and creativity. Ironic enough, when schools are enduring tough times, what are the first programs to be cut? The musical classes, art classes, and extracurricular activities are the first programs to
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be dissolved. (Creativity). These classes or activities allow students to have individuality and be creative in their works. In classes like these, there is no right or wrong answer. According to Alfie Kohn, "The time, energy, and money that is being devoted to preparing students for standardized tests have to come from somewhere. Schools across the country are cutting back or even eliminating programs in the arts, recess for young children, electives for high schoolers, class meetings (and other activities intended to promote social and moral learning), discussions about current events (since that material will not appear on the test), the use of literature in the early grades (if the tests are focused narrowly on decoding skills), and entire subject areas such as science (if the tests cover only language arts and math). Anyone who doubts the scope and significance of what is being sacrificed in the desperate quest to raise scores has not been inside a school lately" (Kohn). Personal skills like problem solving and artistic ability are applied in these classes to ensure the creativity of students is still alive and well.
ACT and SAT tests must be completed during a certain amount of time. The American College Test takes two hours and fifty-five minutes while the Scholastic Aptitude Test takes three hours and forty-five minutes. Every individual's mind works differently. Some test-takers might complete the test with plenty of excess time left over at the end. Other takers might take longer to process information and will not be able to finish all the questions. These tests do not have mercy for people who take longer to process information and answer questions. A slow test-taker (who may be very intelligent but does not answer every question before the time runs out) will have their score be affected negatively. Any unanswered question is equal to a wrong answered question. In addition, some people are just bad testers. They panic under pressure and their mind
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goes blank which causes them to fail the test. This is why test scores from ACT and SAT exams are an inaccurate method of determining the intelligence of students. State run standardized tests are just as inefficient as federal run tests.
MCA, Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, compare a students scores with all the other students in the state of Minnesota. The standardized tests students in one of the three ranks for each subject: below the standards, meets the standards, and exceeds the standards. The below the standards students are known as the low students. They lost at the game of standardized testing. These students do not feel proud of the scores they received and this lowers their self esteem. Standardized testing creates a game of winners and losers. This method of testing is inaccurate and inefficient unless used correctly.
Standardized testing can be a productive method measuring students skills if it is used correctly. The following is one example of how it is used correctly. Incoming students at Flagler College in Saint Augustine were surprised with a Collegiate Learning Assessment exam, a test that measures critical thinking, communication, reasoning and analysis (Vogel). This test is effective because it offers scores in real life skills and tools they need to survive everyday. The Collegiate Learning Assessment exam is completed as a freshman and then again as a senior in order to compare the skills learned during their college years. What makes this test more effective than the rest? The fact that it is not a test that can be studied for which results in less pressure on the student. It is more effective because it is not based solely on the subjects of math, English, and science which students often dread learning about because they have taken it over and over again, year after year. Keep in mind this test is given to students who were already
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accepted and are currently attending the college of their choice. This test does not determine their acceptance into the college. This test would not affect the classes students take in high school and it is not like ACT and SAT exams that is used to determine how "intelligent" students are as individuals.
Scores from SAT and ACT exams will be used to apply for colleges and receive scholarships. Twelve years of education is compiled into a couple exams which could potentially affect whether you are accepted into college or not.
Marion Brady, a veteran educator in public schooling, states:
Using the scores on standardized tests to shape the life chances of kids,
determine the pay and reputations of teachers, gauge the quality of school administrators, establish the worth of neighborhood schools, or as an excuse to hand public schools over to private, profit-taking corporations is, at the very least, irresponsible. If, as it appears, it’s a sneaky scheme to privatize America’s public schools without broad public dialogue, it’s unethical.
The National Academy of Sciences, 2011 report to Congress: The use of standardized tests “has not increased student achievement.”
I think standardized tests aren’t just a monumental waste of money and time, but are destroying the institution and the profession in myriad unsuspected ways (Brady).
It is crazy a composite score compiled by three or four subjects could be the deciding factor whether you are allowed to pursue your career through that college. According to
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Georgetown University's book Recovery, 35% of jobs in the year 2020 will require a master's or
bachelor's degree (Carneval et al 4). To receive these degrees, four year colleges must be attended which usually have a minimum ACT/SAT score requirement that will immediately turn down any students who do not meet the standards needed for this college. Colleges are businesses. The main goal of businesses is to make money. They could care less if an individual passes their classes as long as the college makes money, they are happy. Since we have standardized test scores, colleges lean away from using grade point average because high school courses range from very difficult to gym class. The thousands of homework problems and the countless hours of studying for tests all contribute to your grade point average, and it is often ignored by colleges because we use scores on two exams. Is this what the "No Child Left Behind Policy" intended when it encouraged the idea of standardized testing?
The No Child Left Behind Policy encouraged the use of standardized testing in order to track and measure a students growth and progress. Little did they know that this method of testing would affect a school's curriculum, create winners and losers of education, and potentially ruin a student's chance of achieving their dream job. Standardized tests have their positives and negatives just like all other topics. We cannot continue to let standardizing test methods determine how intelligent we are as individuals.