Against Standardized Tests

Students dread the time of the year when they stop with their course material and begin to prepare for test. Everyone is in agreement that some type of revolution is needed when it comes to education; eliminating standardized test will aid the reform. The need for standardized testing has proven to be ineffective and outdated; some leading educationalist also believe this because the tests do not measure a student’s true potential. This will save money, stop labeling, and alleviate stress in students and teachers.

The stress settled in once the word ‘testing’ echoed through the classroom. The students knew what it brought, and they knew how dreadful it would be; sitting in one room, hour after hour and day after day, silent and still, with only the sound of the clock resonating through their heads. Standardized tests are assessments that local and national governments may require their students to take. However, these tests do not properly evaluate their intellect, and only lead to tension and mental strain on a student’s attentiveness. Although many schools believe that these assessments are productive, it is proven that they are not beneficial to students because standardized testing leads to stress and anxiety, it is wasting valuable classroom time,

Throughout high school and college we will go through a vast amount of testing but why? Testing is used to show a person’s amount of knowledge on a particular subject. Usually it’s for one specific subject and not a majority of them, standardized tests administered in schools today include all testable subjects as in English, Math, Science, Writing, and Reading. However, before we can all take the next step and begin our college careers, we have to take one of two tests, the ACT or the SAT. These two exams demine the college you get into, the amount of scholarships you will receive, and even whether or not your will be accepted into said college, all determined by the score you receive.

Standardized testing has been ruling over the lives of students, making or breaking them in their education without fair judgement. Tests like the SAT and the ACT count for way too much when applying to colleges, which in turn limits the student 's capabilities to thrive in an environment that would benefit them. There are many problems within a standardized test that deems them to be unreliable as a true test of knowledge. Although designed to test groups of students on intelligence, standardized testing neglects to fairly acknowledge the abilities of each unique student which reflect their true capabilities.

The use of standardized testing to measure students’ knowledge is an inaccurate reflection of their capabilities. By being forced to take a test that does not effectively show their abilities, students become overstressed, and the tests themselves do not promote true academic achievement. Rather than learning about subjects in order to gain knowledge, students simply memorize facts and formulas to get a decent test score. Standardized tests are not an appropriate measure of student performance, only benefit certain groups of students, and do not prepare students for the real world.

“Man, having to take these ridiculous standardized tests are just a huge waste of not only our time but the teacher’s time stressing about it, “stated my friend, Ian Jahn. This quote is what many students in this decade are agreeing with because of the lack of purpose the test holds. The No Child Left behind Act is the most current edition of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the major federal law authorized the federal spending on programs to support kindergarten to the end of high school. Elementary and Secondary Education Act is the largest source of federal spending on elementary and secondary education (Evans 1). Not only does this test cost too much this test also has way too much impact because

Schools should eliminate standardized tests. Standardized testing has many negative effects on the student body. Some of these effects are very noticeable and apparent, and some are not. Standardized testing causes negative things such as stress and anxiety(Too Much Stress). Testing like this is also not reliable 100% of the time(Standardized Tests Don’t Prove Anything). Tests also limit the imagination, creativity, and the way a student learns(11 Problems With Testing).

Standardized tests decide who gets into college nowadays. Standardized tests have more emphasis now then do GPA, class rank, and the students achievements. If Colleges were to get rid of this requirement, many more students would apply. Colleges should not put a lot of stock in standardized testing because it does not evaluate true knowledge, the tests cannot predict college readiness, and students with test anxiety will not perform at their best.

The average high school student takes at least one standardized test each school year. Standardized tests are all scored the same way and test takers are given the same questions. The scores students receive play a big part in whether or not they will be accepted to the colleges they apply to. Standardized test scores are one of the most important things colleges look for when reviewing applications. Standardized tests could be successful, in theory. However, they have shown to be less accurate than hoped, to cause copious amounts of stress, and to have little to no correspondence with productive adult lives. Because of their ineffectiveness, colleges should place less importance in them when admitting new students.

Standardized testing scores help us grow as students. That’s why they shouldn’t be taken away because they provide teachers information on what we need to work on and push us to work harder to get a better grade. Standardized tests also help us with college.

Another problem that many students have is a fear of tests, a lot of people taking the SAT’s and the ACT’s get too stressed out on tests and can’t focus, and with this they end up getting a score that doesn’t really reflect what they know. Many people just can’t focus when it comes to a test room setting even if they know the information on that test. On page one of this article it states that, “A new report released Wednesday and endorsed by more than 80 colleges and universities nationwide is recommending some stunning changes in the application process, including possibly making standardized testing optional or lessening its

The debate on standardized tests and its adequacy in testing a student’s knowledge about a subject has been going on for many years. Tests, in general, has been around for centuries and without them there would not be progress and no gleams of progress. Students ranging from elementary school to high school have experienced standardized testing. Teachers, educators, and parents are also involved in the students’ lives, which revolves around the tests, one way or another. There are many views on standardized test. However, the three most common views are: educators who are for standardized test which benefits students, educators who are at the other extreme of opposing standardized tests, and educators who view tests are a benefit if done in appropriate amounts.

Clammy hands, extreme anxiety, and increased heart rate are all symptoms that occur along side standardized tests. Standardized tests have found their way into the center of American education. These achievement tests are used to determine a student’s performance in particular content areas for a certain school year. The student’s scores are then cross referenced to the scores of all other students that took the same test (Haladyna). Many students work hard during their educational careers, only to do poorly on a standardized test and lose their chances at being accepted into any decent college. Standardized tests are not beneficial to the student nor to the teacher and are sometimes even harmful. Students should be given standardized tests less frequently and educators should place less emphasis on scores students receive on these tests. Standardized exams favor upper-class majority students, decrease the quality of public education, and ineffectively measure a student’s achievement.

Each state in America requires that students take a standardized test every year between the grades of third grade and twelfth grade. Although these exams are not all the same, they are all used to decide the students’ intelligence based in different areas such as mathematics, science, english, language arts, and history. Many students experience test anxiety, stress, and pressure during the time of these exams. However, many parents and educators still advocate for standardized testing. Therefore, even though standardized tests analyze your ability to apply the knowledge learned in school, these tests should not be a determiner of a student’s knowledge on a topic because many students stress and worry over tests which impairs their ability to perform adequately.

Tests like the ACT (American College Testing), SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), Educational Assessment Programs, and many more have been what many students’ lives have revolved around since elementary school. These tests have determined whether we move on in school, or whether or not we pursue higher education. Although the effects of these standardized tests have been known to cause stress, and even cases of suicide in some countries, they have some known benefits including college class placement. In this essay, I plan to explore the pros and cons of standardized testing on education.