Essay on Problems with Standardized Testing - 946 Words

Problems with Standardized Testing â€Å"Where is the standardized test that can measure passion for learning, respect for others, and human empathy?† These are the words of Tom McKenna, a disgruntled high school teacher from Portland, Oregon. Like many other educators and students across the nation, Tom is tired of the system. The educational system today is composed of a series of standardized tests. Standardized tests are bad for many reasons. They cause teachers to limit their curriculum, put low-level income and minority students at a disadvantage, cause school districts to focus too heavily on raising test scores, and extract the passion for learning from students. In many cases teachers are encouraged to teach only†¦show more content†¦Everyone is evaluated by test scores. Principals are evaluated by the school board and teachers by the principals. Standardized tests are used more so today in the United States than ever before. These tests are used to see if young children are ready to begin school, to track progress throughout the school system, to diagnose learning disabilities, to promote or retain students from the next level, to gage competitiveness amongst other high school graduates, and many other things. There is a ripple effect of standardized tests as well. Since schools focus mainly on material that is covered on standardized tests, programs that do not appear on such tests get omitted from schools altogether. These programs include music, physical education, and the arts. These types of classes have proven to be extremely important in the developmental process of young minds. Caleb Rossiter, a statistician at American University in Washington D.C. complains, â€Å"They dont see what the effort to bring up the scores is doing to the curriculum. They dont see the dispiriting effect of scrapping art, music and physical education because they are not on the tests.† The types of students that are hurt most by standardized testing are minority students and low-level income students. When these students perform poorly on standardized tests, they are likely to be placed in slow classes. These types of classes focus almost exclusively on drill andShow MoreRelated Problems With Standardized Testing Essay1454 Words   |  6 PagesIn Standardized Testing and Its Victims, an article written for Education Week, Alfie Kohn states: Standardized testing has swelled and mutated, like a creature in one of those old horror movies, to the point that it now threatens to swallow our schools whole.... Our children are tested to an extent that is unprecedented in our history and unparalleled anywhere else in the world. While previous generations of American students have had to sit through tests, never have the tests been given so frequentlyRead MoreEssay about The Problems With Standardized Testing1797 Words   |  8 Pagesinformation about their academic achievement. Although educators and administrators claim that the mandatory ability testing programs being initiated in America’s public schools will hold students and teachers accountable for academic achievement, these programs are really causing more problems than they are solving. Mandated standardized testing is also known as â€Å"high-stakes testing†. When the tests are used to evaluate students and to hold educators accountable these tests are deemed to be â€Å"highRead MoreThe Limitations Of Standardized Testing Essay705 Words   |  3 PagesThe limitations of â€Å"standardized testing† as a rigid and narrow criterion for gauging the educational capabilities of students in public education. The criterion for standardized testing relies on narrow areas of knowledge that define a hierarchical imposition of â€Å"intelligence† testing that forces the student to perform ion a constrained academic environment. This type of testing has become a mechanized tool to reject the individual needs of the student in a linear testing methodology. The importanceRead MoreAmerica s Educational System Must Improve Nationally By Removing Standardized Testing1287 Words   |  6 Pageseducational system could improve nationally by removing standardiz ed testing. American has recognized some of the flaws the education system has presented and chose to fix them; however, one of these problems has been standardized testing, which has not been identified nor changed. Standardized testing inflicts many problems to students that need to be fixed immediately. From inefficient teachers to poorer school systems, standardized testing needs to change because it deteriorates America’s educationRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography Essay1319 Words   |  6 PagesAlternatives to Standardized Tests:. (n.d.). Retrieved February 3, 2015, from http://www.rethinkingschools.org/restrict.asp?path=archive/13_03/assess.shtml This article speaks about different approaches at the end of the grading period as opposed to using standardized testing. Other ideas are evaluation of the work the student has done throughout the year, or quarter. This would take the place of using a pen and pencil test like the standardized test we currently use. An alternative to standardized testingRead MoreEmphasis on Standardized Testing Essay1525 Words   |  7 Pagesthroughout ones educational career, students are required to take standardized tests to show their progress and if they meet certain requirements they could qualify them for higher educational opportunities. Some common standardized test include: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), American College Testing (ACT), Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), Missouri Assessment Program (MAP), and Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL). Standardized tests are designed so that each person taking the test has theRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing1177 Words   |  5 PagesStandardized testing is a no Growing up in Chesapeake every student is forced to take a standardized test at the end of every class they take. Standardized testing has been a part of the educational system for so long that everyone is just accustomed to taking these tests or giving them out. Standardized testing does not just effect the students but it also effects the teachers. Chesapeake School Board should get rid of standardized testing in all grade levels because of different learning styleRead MoreThe Importance Of Standardized Testing In Education1140 Words   |  5 PagesThe standardized test has become the staple of the United States K12 education system. Students at all levels are routinely tested, and schools evaluated based on the scores. It’s easy to look at this as a necessary part of the system, a needed way of assessing both school and individual student performance to ensure quality across all schools. These tests are regarded as a tried-and true way of doing this, when in reality they are neither old nor accurate in assessment. I move in this essay thatRead MoreEssay On Standardized Testing1137 Words   |  5 PagesStandardized testing in public schools has become a norm across the United States. But, in Texas it has been found that students spend more time taking standardized tests than any other state (â€Å"Too Much Testing†). Standardized testing may be an asset to measure education, or more measure testing skills across the nation, but at what cost does it come? What are its effects on moral within the public education system, and how does the state government of Texas interact within it. Why does the TexasRead MoreA Brief Note On Death With Standardized Testing1471 Words   |  6 PagesDeath with Standardized Testing High-stakes standardized is a hot topic all across the United States at the moment. Some people are for it while others are against it. As many would argue, standardized testing provides a benchmark for student’s progress in the classroom and that it holds teachers and students accountable for their work. On the contrary, standardized testing is more destructive to a student and even a teacher’s educational experiences. Therefore, standardized testing such as the