The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

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INTRODUCTION
Imagine walking into school on day one of the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program, or better known as TCAP. You are rushed to your proctor’s room. This is just day one of the six long grueling test days. The school board is counting on you to score high enough to reflect positively on your school district. Each session will last up to sixty minutes with just enough time for most students to finish. There are usually three sessions per day. For most students, this process is one which is dreaded with each coming year. TCAP results are scored by advanced, proficient, partially proficient, or unsatisfactory (Time4Learning). The TCAP tests students from 3rd through 10th grade. This test happens the same time each year. There are four different tests that constitute the TCAP: reading, writing, math, and for the 5th, 8th, and 10th grades science.
Formal education started around the time of 3100 B.C (History World International). In the 17th centery America, learning was forced on you. If you didn’t memorize the work you would be whipped (History). Children who coundn’t learn, didn’t learn. It took speacial teachers to take in the children who other schools didn’t want. In 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, or NCLB (ProCon.org). The Colorado Board of Education responded by implementing the Colorado Student Assessment Program, CSAP, into their schools. In 2011, the school board changed the test. In 2012, the very next school year, the first of Transitional Colorado Assessment Program began. TCAP was given at the same time for all students in the state of Colorado.
The problem in our United States schools is that when standardized testing is taken, there is no way to me...

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...tory of Education." World History Center. Ed. Robert Guisepi. History World International, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
ProCon.org. "Is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America?" ProCon.org. 1 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
Scholastic. "Standardized Tests | Prepare And Interpret Results." Scholastic.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2014.
SLON, STEVEN. "Teaching To The Test Gets An 'F'." Saturday Evening Post 285.5 (2013): 47. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
Time4Learning. "Colorado CSAP Test Prep." Time4Learning Test Prep. Time4Learning, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
Zwaagstra, Michael. "Standardized Testing in Schools Is a Good Thing." Standardized Testing in Schools Is a Good Thing (21 Oct. 2011): n. pag. Troy Media. 21 Oct. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
Craddock, Megan. Personal interview. 30 Apr. 2014.
Riplie, Virginia. Personal Interview. 7 May 2014.

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