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Standardized tests do more harm than good
An essay about standardized testing
An essay about standardized testing
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Recommended: Standardized tests do more harm than good
Our nation’s forty-third president, George W. Bush, entered the oval office with a monumental vision of education reform. Through countless speeches and impressive promises, Bush sought to improve the academic performance of America’s elementary and secondary schools while, at the same time, ensuring that no child is trapped in a failing school. This tremendous feat later became known as the “cornerstone of his presidential administration”, becoming a main focus during his campaign. Bush recognized that the country’s neediest children were being neglected academically and spent large amounts of money trying to correct the issue. Although well intended, the No Child Left Behind Act did more harm than good for the American students of the twenty-first …show more content…
century. Despite the $200 billion in federal spending for the NCLB act, the academic proficiency of millions of students has plummeted because of it. NCLB currently operates with several fundamental flaws that continue to damage the American public school system. Schools have shifted their purpose of enlightening and expanding the academic horizons of its students to putting all educational effort into standardized testing.
Teachers no longer cover the vast range of topics a certain subject may include but, rather, teach only those found on the standardized state test. This unfortunate method of teaching is a result of the NCLB’s heavy stress on the student success on the tests it issues. The Educational Research Newsletter says it best in it’s article, “The Pros and Cons of NCLB: What Research Says”: “By imposing standards on students’ minds we are, in effect, depriving them of their fundamental intellectual freedom by applying one standard set of knowledge. Standardized tests oversimplify knowledge and do not test higher-order thinking skills…. One-size-fits-all standards either dumb down instruction to the lowest common denominator or condemn low-ability students to frequent failure”. Because schools that fail to meet the AYP, “Adequate Yearly Progress”, often receive various consequences, teacher administrations have, sadly, rejected rigorous teaching methods that were once so prevalent in the learning institutions of this country. Instead of going to school to learn, children are going to school to pass a test, losing the opportunity to receive a well-rounded …show more content…
education. The standardized test that is issued to the students every year maintains a considerable focus on the two subjects of mathematics and critical reading.
Fewer time and resources are being put into teaching subjects such as history, geography, science, art, and physical education. Due to the NCLB, a steady reduction has been implemented in these important subjects. How are students expected to lead successful lives while being deprived of essential subject lessons? This is a matter of great concern that is not receiving the attention and awareness it deserves. Concerning this issue, the National Council for the Social Studies released the following statement in an online article: “By requiring states to measure student achievement in language arts and mathematics and tying school performance reports and financial incentives to testing results, NCLB resulted in the diversion of both funding and class-time away from social studies and other non-tested subjects. The phrase "if it isn't tested, it isn't taught" resonates in the American educational community, with significant implications for educational practices and outcomes.” Although significantly damaging, the exclusion of certain subjects is not the only controversy stemming from the
NCLB. The issue of standardized testing has raised another considerable concern: what is to become of the students with different learning styles? The “one-size-fits-all” learning approach the NCLB takes on is proving to be detrimental to students all across the nation. While a student may have success on standardized testing for one or two years, who is to know of the long-term effects of the faulty teaching the student received? In 2011, two out of three eighth- graders could not read proficiently and nearly three out of four eighth- and twelfth graders could not write proficiently. To make matters worse, about 1.1 million American students drop out of school every year. In addition, because of their failure in reaching the high standards the NCLB lays out, students are losing the motivation and determination to remain in school. Not enough students reach college and, unfortunately, many who do are not adequately prepared. This is clearly demonstrated in the fact that close to only forty six percent of American students finish college. The public education of today is failing students not only in the classroom, but also, in life. Successful job positions today require a college degree and, without that degree, millions will have to settle for lives of unemployment and poverty. The NCLB is the starting point of a domino effect proving to be immensely destructive, if left unresolved. The NCLB is not only an injustice for public school students, but also, a blatant disservice to the country as a whole. The time to act is now. Far too many students have floated through the public school system, moving along the academic stream of mediocrity and ‘below average’ grades. Success in the classroom is possible for every student in the country and can be accomplished through amending the NCLB act. The very future of America lies in the confines of its schools and in the minds of its children and, in striving towards a successful learning environment, we can assure great prosperity in both.
This required each state to develop a set of standards that each child would need to know in math and reading. The NCLB also required almost all of the students to be tested annually throughout elementary and middle school grades (Webb, Metha, Jordan 2013). The act also strived that all students would test at a proficient level by 2014. The impact of this decision was that the government would be more involved than ever before in how a school taught, what the school taught, and the requirements of outcomes. The downside impact of this was that states changed the proficiency levels over the years and there has been inconsistent data given when reported. In a report with control groups it is shown that there were changes before and after implementation of the NCLB (Ladd 2010). With that information one could conclude that the act was successful and should be further pursued along with
This is precisely the problem. Standardized tests are old and outdated, and the harm they cause to America’s education system by far outweighs the benefits. These tests were intended to monitor and offer ways to improve how public schools function, but instead they have impaired the natural learning ability of students and imposed upon the judgment of experienced educators. Although a means to evaluate the progress of public schools is necessary, it is also necessary to develop more modern and effective ways of doing so. Standardized testing mandated by the federal and state governments has a negative effect on the education of America’s youth.
The policy “No Child Left Behind (NCLB)” is a policy where Federal legislation has mandated that children be tested, and where there is compliance with standards. Simply means, that all children must meet standards. The standards are defined by the states, and all children will be subject to testing, starting from as early as third grade. The students will be tested annually, in order to ensure that they are getting the type of education that they are entitled to, as determined by their performance on standardized tests.
Pressure is being exerted on students to pass, and teachers to enable their students to pass the standardized tests being presented to them. This takes much classroom time that could be spent instructing students on what might be more valuable information, and instead study for the test by what some consider rote memorization (Silva). Experiments have been done seeing how much different teaching approaches were before and after the implementation of standardized testing (Desimone). These experiments demonstrated how vastly the difference between teaching to the test and teaching what the instructor believes is the most valuable knowledge and the best way to present this knowledge. If there is a disconnect between what America’s teachers believe is best to know, and what is on the examinations, then one of the two is flawed, and it is not likely to be what the teachers are teaching.
Though standardized testing has played a part in America's education system it took several tries before it played such a large role in education like it does today. The No child left Behind Act of 2002 was the foot hold standardized testing needed in order to be implemented into schools at a national level with such force. During the 1990’s the U.S felt as though it was falling behind on the Programme for International Assessment. “After No Child Left Behind (NCLB) passed in 2002, the US slipped from 18th in the world in math on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to 31st place in 2009, with a similar drop in science and no change in reading”(walker 1).
Education is the foundation of American society. It empowers the youth of America to become the successful leaders this country needs for the future. Education has been one of America’s top priorities since 1965, when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed. Now, education is controlled by the No Child Left Behind Act, which was launched in January 8, 2002. This act was passed with intentions from the government to provide Americans with a more superior education system. However, The No Child Left Behind Act carried many flaws which were left unseen to a vast majority of the public. This act limited American students by not allowing them to demonstrate their full academic potentials while proceeding in school. While the act was still fairly fresh, there was already evidence to prove that it had already gotten off to a bad beginning. For the crucial math and science courses, statistics showed minimal improvements which had begun around the time period in which the No Child Left Behind Act was passed. The act was also supported by a number of educators who voiced themselves by testifying against having the right to teach at their own free will. Teachers across America claimed that because of this new act, they felt a constant heaviness upon their shoulders from the state government to “Teach the test.”
Since the No Child Left Behind Act, also known as NCLB, has come into effect, it has caused some concerns with teachers and parents alike on how well it is working for the students. There have been issues that have arisen that needed to be addressed and instead been overlooked when a child does not meet with the school’s standardized testing and is pushed onto the next grade level.
“Making the Grade,” which was published in the Salt Lake Tribune in September of this year, is an article arguing the negative sides of the No Child Left Behind Act. Through this article, a majority of the discussion regarded the budgeting involved with NCLB. This article calls No Child Left Behind a “one-size-fits-all formula for improving education in America” (Making the Grade). According to President Bush, the NCLB Act is “’the cornerstone’ of his administration” (Salt Lake Tribune). Like with any legislation, however, come both positive and negative sides.
Peterson, P. E., & West, M. R. (2003). No Child Left Behind?: The politics and practice of school accountability. New York, NY: Brookings Institution Press.
In 2002, President George W. Bush passed the “No Child Left Behind Act” which tied in schools’ public funding to standardized tests and enforced the tests in elementary and high schools every year by state education departments. This law also began to put more emphasize on standardized tests which has diminished our level of education and the law “made standardized test scores the primary measure of school quality” (Diane Ravitch 28). Bush hoped this law motivated more students to do well on these exams and teachers to help them prepare better, but it ended up hurting many schools in the process. These exams like the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) should not play such a prominent role in schooling and the government should not make tests the main focal point.
In the article “What Does It Mean to Educate the Whole Child?” Nel Noddings attempts to provide a deeper insight on what it means to educate the whole child. According to the article, public schools in the United States are currently facing a huge pressure to provide students with thorough and efficient education. In this connection, a program known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has endeavored to ensure that efficient education is provided to all minority children, especially the many who are in the inner-cities. Notwithstanding this endeavor, individuals from some quarters have criticized NCLB by claiming that it is an unfunded mandate since it comes up with costly demands without providing necessary resources to meet them. In effect, among
The achievement gap is greatly evident and impacts the low-income, minority students the most. Although the federal government attempted to resolve this problem with No Child Left Behind, the social problem is still evident. As there is still much pressure on standardized tests and annual reports, reformation is needed. No Child Left Behind has proven to be inadequate and rather highlights the urgency for education reform. Although the act is called “No Child Left Behind,” an appropriate title would have been “Education Left Behind.” More than focusing on test scores, education should prepare students in how to contribute to
Even in this time of struggle, with billions of dollars going towards various war efforts overseas, America still has managed to keep taxpayer investments in education higher than that of funds for national defense (U.S Department of Education). In the 2004-05 school year, there was an estimated amount of 536 billion dollars set aside from taxpayer investment for education purposes. Without a doubt, education is a priority for the American government, and if these funds are used in the correct way, there is no reason why each and every kid in the United States shouldn’t be getting a quality education. However, the organization of the financial system is flawed, funds are not handled proportionately at the state level; rather, this system favors the wealthier districts and hands more funds to them while the less wealthier districts are handed a smaller pool of funds. This really affects America’s quality of education, which also reflects upon how America fairs on the world stage when it comes to competition in education with other countries. The disorganization of funds in the United States can be seen in the Hoover City School district, which has bought every student in that district an iPad for use in school. The first problem with this is that this school district does not even have a viable bus system that can transport students to and from school. Secondly, not even 20 miles from this district lies the Birmingham City School district where a little more than half the students are graduating, compared to Hoover City Schools where a bit more than 90 percent of the students are graduating. If anything, the state should be working towards improving educational standards in lower-income communities rather than debating on the log...
Teachers who lack passion and desire to teach what they are given can translate and manifest its way to students as they also lose aspirations to come to school and learn only what will be on exams they are supposed to take to show that they are “learning.” Students come to school to learn things they did not know prior and with the acquisition of knowledge it can many a times create a drive for students to expand upon a particular subject, which can ultimately determine their careers and goals, but this whole process is shutdown with standardized tests, as many topics and subjects are limited to a few basic ones that put out the fire students are expected to have.
As Rodney Paige, former Secretary of Education, said, “We have an educational emergency in the United States of America” (Hursh, 2007). The American ideal of egalitarianism essentially states that individuals should have an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams, and an important part of being able to achieve this is attaining a quality education. Students of differing racial, cultural, socioeconomic, and ability levels should all have the same opportunities in receiving a high-quality education. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is seeking to change this. The NCLB is the current authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (Houston, 2007), which was passed during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration. Every five years the ESEA is renewed. It is currently due for renewal in 2014.