The Issue with Traditional Testing Methods

3576 Words8 Pages

The Issue with Traditional Testing Methods So what’s the big issue with traditional testing methods? They’ve been instituted for years and no one seemed to have a problem before now. Well, in the past decade, the nation’s citizens have become increasingly compassionate towards students and their individual needs. President George W. Bush has gotten generous praise for his No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 as a result of popular concerns among communities across the country. While the act may still have areas in need of improvement, it illustrates that educators, parents, and students alike have been desirous of reform within school systems. “The number of calls complaining about high-stakes exams coming from parents...are increasing, and is a reason for concern” (Report, 2001). The recent act caters to the actualization that students are different from one another, and in order for teaching and learning to take place in a non-discriminatory manner, adjustments must be made. According to the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), “Alternative assessment is any form of measuring what students know and are able to do other than traditional standardized tests. Alternative forms of assessment include portfolios that are collections of students' work over time, performance-based assessments, and other means of testing students such as open-ended essays with no single correct answer, and project work that involves collaboration with peers” (2000). Students learn in many ways. Some learn by listening to lessons and may prefer an environment with the aid of music and rhythm. Others may be visual learners who gather information by looking at photographs or watching videos. There are still others that learn kinesthetic... ... middle of paper ... ... tested in the same manner for a specified purpose in order to maintain consistency and validity within results. Stiggins, R. (1991). Facing challenges of a new era of educational assessment. Applied Measurement in Education 4(4), 263+. Retrieved September 25, 2003 from Academic Search/EBSCO database. 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.

Show More
Related

  • Testing is Overrated

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Annotated Bibliography On Standardized Testing

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Standardized Testing Has a Negative Effect on American Youth

    1129 Words  | 3 Pages

    Miltich, Matthew. "Standardized Testing and Assessment Do Not Improve Education." Education: Opposing Viewpoints. New York: Greenhaven, 2005. 151-54. Print.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of No Child Left Behind

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    Another major criticism of the “No Child Left Behind” deals with the implications of using a standardized test as means of assessing achievement.

    Read More

  • Mexican War Research Paper

    525 Words  | 2 Pages

    The mexican american war also known as the mexican war in the united states and in Mexico ,was an armed force conflict between the United States of America and the united states mexico from 1846 to 1848 . mexico obtained independence from the kingdom of spain and the spanish with the treaty of cordoba in 1821,and becoming a republic in 1824.The united states gained their independence from the united kingdom since they defeat the them they thought they were special they wanted to to expand west and gained more land to get more resources.After the election of polk he said that Texas should be re-annexed he also set his eyes on California ,New Mexico and the rest of what is the United States when he offer of buying those lands he started a

    Read More

  • The Mexican War: The Causes Of The Mexican American War

    1506 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mexican-American War, also known as the Mexican war or the invasion of Mexican, which occurred from April 1846 to February 1848. This war is very meaningful to the United States, which determined whether it could become the most powerful nation or not, also established the size of the United States. The war involved American and Mexican fighting over Texas, after the United States had annexed Texas as the fifteenth slave state. There were several causes for the war happening, some of which major and the others of which minor. However, the most important reasons were the idea of manifest destiny, Texas War of Independence, westward movement of the American, the refuse of negotiating of Mexico and the border dispute.

    Read More

  • The Sol's Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing In Schools

    1900 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • High Stakes Testing

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout this paper, I will be discussing how important high stakes testing is to our country. First, I will show how these tests prevent students from moving on to the next grade level or graduate without the skills necessary. Secondly, I will discuss how they improve students’ achievement. And lastly, I will describe how these tests keep teachers and schools accountable.

    Read More

  • The Negative Impact Of Standardized Testing On Students

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    Because education is almost always a political topic, the discussion of government regulated standardized tests is a common debate. Some people believe that standardized testing focuses too much on test scores verses educating students through creative learning. Teachers often are intimidated due to the requirements and material that he or she must prepare for their students to succeed on these tests (Klien, Zevenbergen, Brown 2006). Some teachers feel as though they should only focus on the content that are in the standardized tests that leaves out other important criteria. I chose the topic of standardized testing because the education field is what I have chosen to pursue, and if I remember there have been numerous occasions throughout my career as a student where testing has been

    Read More

  • Teaching to the Test

    562 Words  | 2 Pages

    Standardized testing was implemented through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The main purpose of these tests was to “ensure that students in every public school achieve important learning goals while being educated in safe classrooms by well-prepared teachers,” (Yell). Even though the government may have had good intentions about this program, it has taken a turn for the worst. These tests are actually impairing and inhibiting the educational growth of students because teachers have to teach to the test and not stray from the boundaries at all for fear of low test grades. This may sound like a good thing to most people, but in all actuality, teachers are only teaching the students how to pass tests, not how to think critically and how to learn to love learning. An interview from seventh grade teacher Sherri Empey revealed how she felt about teaching to the test: “I cannot stray from teaching what is on the test at all for fear of having my students place low on the tests. This means that I can’t delve any deeper into any subjects and can only teach the bare minimum, or in other words, what is on the test. I have to pound these ideas into their heads to make sure they can pass ‘the standard,’” (Empey). Teaching to the test is replacing good teaching practices with “drill n’ kill” rote learning.

    Read More

  • Standardized Testing is NOT Effective

    2388 Words  | 5 Pages

    Popham, W. James. “Standardized Achievement Tests: Misnamed and Misleading.” Education Week. September 2001. Web. 28 June 2015.

    Read More

  • Risk Management Framework

    1881 Words  | 4 Pages

    The objectives of operation, reporting, and compliance are represented in the column. Components are represented by the rows regarding the ERM. The third dimension is the entity’s organizational structure. It demonstrates clear how and how counteract low risk tolerance and high risk appetite. Risk reduction is obtained by facilitating effective internal control with a broad scope that reflects changes in the framework to risk management with ERM. The framework requires adaptability which enables flexibility due to a overlap of functions of identify, assessing, and responding to risks within operations, reporting, and compliance. Activities, information, communication should be monitored, evaluated, and identified for response are part of the ERM for effective and efficient risk management. The concept of risk appetite and risk tolerance is introduced because the identification of potential events affecting achievement can be managed. Also, the process requires communication, consultation before and monitoring and review after every decision or action (McNally, 2015). The financial principles to risk management are effective risk management creates value, integration, decision making, address uncertainty, systematic structure, and facilitated continuous improvement. The financial principles form effective and efficient management within a firm. Financial principles help ERM with risk

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Standardized Testing

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Five Steps Of Risk Management In Coca-Cola

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the first step, identify potential risks plays a crucial role in the risk management process. The core purpose of identifying risk is to figure out causes of risk and analyze result caused by the risks and its probability . Hence, risk identification can begin with the source of problem, or with the problem itself. The chosen method of identifying risk may depend on culture, industry practice and compliance. The identification

    Read More

  • Risk Management in Construction Projects

    2365 Words  | 5 Pages

    Risk management also applies to operational functions of an organization. Risk management covers all types of listed risks like:

    Read More

More about The Issue with Traditional Testing Methods

Open Document