Standardized testing has been a controversial topic for many years. Some people believe that standardized tests are an effective way to measure student achievement, while others argue that they are a waste of time and resources. Standardized tests are often used as a high-stakes assessment, which means that the results can have a significant impact on students’ futures. For example, some schools use standardized test scores to make decisions about admissions, placement, and funding.
There is no denying that standardized tests can be stressful for both students and teachers. However, it is important to remember that these tests are just one part of the assessment process. Standardized tests should not be used as the sole criterion for making decisions about students’ futures. Instead, they should be one of several factors that are considered.
Standardized testing has been a contentious issue in the United States for several years. Should students be forced to take standardized tests? Should their pay be linked to their test results? How much preparation should students receive for the exam? Is it necessary for pupils to take too many standardized examinations? These are just a few of the issues that have emerged with standardization testing, and I’d want to address them throughout this essay.
The first standardized test was created in the early 1800s in Great Britain (Linn, 59). The purpose of this test was to track students’ progress throughout their educational career. Standardized tests were brought to the United States during the Progressive Era to hold schools accountable for their teaching methods and to ensure that all students were being taught the same material (Linn, 60).
Standardized tests have been a part of American education ever since. In 2001, George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law (NCLB) which made annual standardized testing a requirement for all public schools in the United States (Darling-Hammond & Wise, 2).
NCLB was designed to improve student achievement by holding schools accountable for their test scores. If a school failed to make “adequate yearly progress” as defined by NCLB, that school would be required to take corrective action which could include firing the principal or staff, changing the curriculum, or closing the school (Darling-Hammond & Wise, 2).
Critics of NCLB say that the law has had the opposite effect of what was intended. They argue that NCLB has caused schools to teach to the test, that it has narrowed the curriculum, and that it has resulted in more high-stakes testing (Darling-Hammond & Wise, 2). Standardized tests have become one of the most important factors in determining a school’s success or failure.
Teachers’ pay is often based on their students’ test scores. In some states, teachers can even be fired if their students do not perform well on standardized tests (Darling-Hammond & Wise, 3). This puts a lot of pressure on teachers to ensure that their students do well on the tests. As a result, many teachers teach to the test instead of teaching the material in an engaging way that will help students understand and retain the information.
Standardized tests also take up a lot of time. Students spend hours taking practice tests and preparing for the real thing. This takes away from time that could be spent learning new material or participating in extracurricular activities. Standardized tests can also be very stressful for students. Many students feel a lot of pressure to do well on the tests and some even feel like their future depends on it.
So, what is the solution? Standardized testing is not going away anytime soon. However, there are ways to improve the system. First, we need to make sure that teachers are teaching the material in an engaging way and not just teaching to the test. Second, we need to make sure that students have enough time to prepare for the tests and that they are not spending hours upon hours taking practice tests. Third, we need to make sure that students are not feeling undue stress about the tests. Standardized testing can be a useful tool but only it is used correctly.
In this paper, I aim to not only explain why standardised testing has become such a problem, but also whether it truly reflects a student’s learning and knowledge. To show what standardized testing is all about, we must first define it. Ed Psych by Jack Snowman and Rick McCown, and Ed Psych by Renee Elzinga define standardized testing as an assessment tool created by experts with specialized expertise and given to all pupils under the same conditions.
Standardized testing is also a way to compare the achievement of different groups of students and schools. Standardized tests have been given in the United States for over 100 years (Snowman, McCown, & Higbee, 2016). Ever since their creation, there has been a debate on whether or not they actually benefit students. Standardized testing has become more controversial over the years due to the No Child Left Behind legislation.
One side of the argument believes that standardized testing is good because it provides an objective measure of what students know. They believe that if a student cannot pass a standardized test, then they are not ready to move on to the next grade level or graduate from high school. Proponents of standardized testing also argue that standardized tests show if schools are doing a good job teaching students. Standardized tests also help identify which schools need more help and which schools are excelling.
The other side of the argument believes that standardized testing is bad because it causes students to focus more on the test than on learning. They believe that the pressure of having to pass a standardized test causes students to cheat and/or drop out of school. Standardized tests have also been shown to disproportionately affect low-income and minority students.
These students are more likely to not pass a standardized test, even if they know the material. Standardized tests should not be used as the only measure of student achievement because there are many factors that contribute to how well a student does on a test. Standardized tests should be one measure of student achievement, but not the only measure.
So, what is the answer? Standardized testing is good and bad. It all depends on how you use it. When standardized tests are used correctly, they can be a valuable tool for measuring student achievement. However, when standardized tests are used as the only measure of student achievement, they can be harmful to students. We need to find a way to use standardized tests that benefits students without causing them too much stress.
