The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing In Schools

Starting in the third grade, students from all over the U.S. are forced into taking a test which determines whether or not they will proceed in to the next grade. Standardized testing like the STARR are made by each states board of education. State mandated tests do not help further a students’ education.
Standardized tests such as the STARR do not help prepare students for the next level because the passing requirement does not correlate to the standard seventy and above passing rate. STARR tests usually have about fifty-five to eighty questions which are meant to test a student’s ability to retain the information from the past year. In order to pass the test, a student would need to answer anywhere from nine-teen to twenty-five questions

While taking the test, students realize they have not learned some of the material. This is due to poor planning on the states part because, the test is made to test above students’ grade levels. Before, when teachers were making their own teaching plans, they could tell how the test would be from past years and plan accordingly. Poor planning does not only affect the students but the teachers because teachers have to follow a curriculum blindly, they cannot teach their students how to anticipate an unexpected question. The best answer they can give is to try their best and pick the answer that makes the most sense. Teachers are not supposed to tell their students to just guess if they are unsure. When it comes time to take the test, the only people who should be stressed are the students not the teachers because they are afraid their student will not do great. State testing is meant to show a student’s skill not leave them scrambling for answers they were not taught when the time comes. The people who make the tests are taking shortcuts with preparing students and then expecting them to ace the

When students work hard all year only to find out they do not have to exceed expectations on a test, it eventually causes them to stop trying as hard. Because of the difference in classroom learning and the STARR, students cannot correctly adjust to the different learning process that comes with taking the test. Even though state tests are supposed to follow the same curriculum as the class room, they do not and cause problems for both teachers and students. While some may argue, students need to experience new learning habits, they would not agree if it were their children stressing for weeks before and after taking the test. At the end of the day, it is up to the parents and teaches to get rid of state mandated tests seeing as students have no power against it. If we were to band together now, it would greatly impact future