Mandatory Standardized Testing

“On your desk you should only have your chromebook, a piece of scrap paper and a pencil. You will have 90 minutes to complete this test. You may begin.” This is an example of what students all over the country hear before they take mandatory standardized test. Standardized testing has been in the United States for about 150 years, but the tests have grown in use in the 21st century. Students of grades 3-12 take standardized tests each year to compare the students to each other, and to evaluate teaching. These tests have both pros and cons, which causes adults and students to have mixed views about them. Forms of standardized testing have been in America since before the civil war. American educators began having the ideas of what would someday
Although these tests are intended to show student and teacher performance, they actually do not. For example, if students have a very good teacher, but then do not try on the tests, then that teacher may be punished for the results of the class, even though the students did not complete the tests to the best of their abilities. This is especially the case if the tests are not worth a grade, because then they do not affect the students and the students will not put forth the necessary effort. A main concern about standardized testing is test anxiety. Out of all students, researchers say that roughly 20 to 33 percent of them have some form of test anxiety. There is so much pressure on students for doing well on these tests, yet the results may not be as accurate because a student may not be able to focus do to test anxiety. Standardized tests do not prepare students for the real world. An education researcher, Gerald Bracey says these tests cannot tests some qualities of students that are very desireable in real world work situations such as, “‘creativity, critical thinking, resilience, motivation, persistence, curiosity, endurance, reliability, enthusiasm, empathy, self-awareness, self-discipline, leadership, civic-mindedness, courage, compassion, resourcefulness, sense of beauty, sense of wonder, honesty, integrity.’” All of these qualities would be very helpful in the real world, but these tests do not measure these good traits. The students are trained to only know what is on the tests which, in turn, causes these traits to go missing in our society. Another major concern with these tests is the cost of implementing them. States have to pay for making up the questions, printing and shipping the tests, scoring the tests, returning the tests to parents and schools, and research and analysis of the scores. One source stated, “In Indiana, it cost $557 per student per year to