Standardized Test

Schools all over the nation have introduced standardized testing as a way to evaluate what the students have learned over the course of the school year. Exams can be administered online or on paper, depending on the subject. Test can be taken at different points of the school year; results can be used as a way to determine what areas are weaker than others. Most results are viewed by the school board, administrators, and teachers. In some schools students take one end of the year test with different subjects, other just takes one test. These tests can be graded by groups of people are computers. Standardized testing has become a part of America’s educational system and many don’t see the benefit of the test at all.

Many people in the United States are concerned with the role that standardized testing has on education. Most of them have very strong views on this subject and as it usually happens with large-scale issues these views are very diverse and often opposite. Some claim that standardized testing is the best way to determine student’s skills and qualities because they are equally designed for everyone and not biased. Others, on the other hand, argue the fairness of these tests. They believe that test scores do not represent student’s knowledge. What is certain, in my opinion, is that this subject needs more attention followed by actions that will actually make difference in the education system.

Thoughts about the ACT or SAT give most students sleepless nights. Well, it is an important test but getting overwhelmed by it is not going to help. These few fun facts about the ACT/SAT are just what you need when you are looking for a short, refreshing distraction from the intense studying. The ACT/SAT should be the main factor in college acceptance because it gives minorities an equal chance of admission, it provides a standard for all students of all high school backgrounds to achieve, and test you on the basic skills you need to know after leaving high school anyway.

Research shows negative effects are associated with standardized testing because they may place extreme stress on the student and teacher, restrict teacher’s ability to educate properly, lead to inaccurate results that do not reflect the whole student, and generate discriminatory situations for minorities and special education students.

Standardized Testing can be both a benefit to the educational community and a very serious problem. Standardized Testing is said to have negative effects on both the students and the teachers. Standardized Testing has created many problems and has become a very big factor in politics. Some people argue that the government is influencing the education system. While others believe that the government isn’t involved enough. There are many pros and cons to both but the cons outnumber the pros.

Students are spending increasing amounts of time preparing for and taking competitive standardized tests. Standardized testing has been a controversial subject of discussion. This does not improve student achievement or teacher performance. Some are for these tests because of how it provides students, parents, and the government with information on the student's progress. Although most schools make students take standardized tests, it does not measure the knowledge of a student, causes disadvantages for students and teachers, and can be bias or unfair.

To achieve this goal, this paper is organized into five different sections, each explaining the viewpoint of different authors. In the first section, there’s an account of five important facts about the negative effects of standardized testing,the amount of information standardized testing really covers, student placement, important abilities that aren’t being found, the potential of tests, and the outcomes of these tests. The second section, discusses five distinct facts about how unnecessary standardized testing is and how radical it truly is, how standardized testing affects teachers, the competition involved, what test scores really reflect, what measures students take, and how scores affect improvement within teachers. The third section, discuss an account of five other different viewpoints about the psychological effects standardized testing causes, the time teachers waste teaching about these tests, the obsession

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.

Joseph Joubert, a wise French writer, once stated, “It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debate.” Although this was stated years ago, his wise words are still relevant today. Standardized testing is just one of the many topics causing great controversy among society. The reason behind this uproar is due to the contradicting opinions of government officials, school district administrators, teachers, parents, and students. Each group has different opinions they are passionate about, however the central argument is whether or not standardized testing should continue to be used as an evaluation tool.

Recently, the amount of standardized testing in the United States increased drastically. “Students are taking between ten and twenty standardized tests, depending on the grade. A total average of one hundred thirteen different ones by graduation”(Locker). A few years ago the United States, along with other nations, was given a test to assess the academic strengths and weaknesses of each nation and rank them accordingly. When the results were released and the United States was ranked near the bottom, the nation decided to start incorporating more testing through school. Between benchmark, TLI, PARCC, and common core standards, teaching pedagogy changed once again. Standardized testing has had a negative effect on teachers

Firstly, one very controversial topic in America: Standardized testing. There are two most common cons associated with standardized tests. Firstly, standardized tests are not essential. Secondly, hypothetically speaking if standardized testing were a resourceful scale to weigh a student’s appropriate academic level, the costs correlated with these tests is too pricey.

Standardized testing is a topic that is all too familiar for those families whose children are still in school, but also for young adults where standardized testing has passed but still remains near. There is a stigma about standardized testing that looms as student’s abilities are put into question. Factors, for example, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds of students are also questioned due to standardized testing. Characteristics such as these are not types that students can control or change, but “high-stakes testing is widely viewed as positively discriminatory” against such static characteristics (Thernstrom, 2000, page 46).

Over time standardized testing has become more and more popular. Standardized tests are commonly used in schools today. Tests are a way of checking off, and creating requirements in high school. These tests are helpful in some way but are mostly hurtful in the education of students. Parents and teachers have begun questioning if the excessive amounts of testing are really necessary for their students. They take up class time and prohibit innovation. Standardized tests are said to be a way of determining intelligence but are not always successful or helpful in teaching students.

The biggest debate in education right now is whether or not standardized testing is beneficial or harmful to the educational needs of students. Teachers today feel that standardized testing has become excessive and is impeding the learning process of today’s students. However, legislators feel that standardized testing is imperative to the assessment of the achievement gap. Research suggests that excessive standardized testing is negatively impacting schools because of its emphasis on accountability and not on learning achievement, the ramifications it’s having on teachers, and the added stress and pressure it has placed on students.

In conclusion the school counselor plays many roles in testing and assessment of students. They can administer the test, share the results of the test etc. Standardized testing are now of a norm in today's schools. Children start testing as young as four years of age. The NCLB act was put in place so that the school could be accountable for a student passing or failing. Standardized testing is a way for the school to see where the students academic levels are. There are benefits and repercussion for the school depending on how well the students did on the test. School counselors do not like to make a major decision about a student's education based off of one test. The like to look at the students projects, work assignments, and class performance