Standardized testing: What's wrong with this picture?

Rough Draft Persuasive Paper Standardized testing: What's wrong with this picture? The ACT: this particular standardized test has many connotations, and few of them are positive ones. When one thinks of the ACT, or American College Testing, feelings of nervousness, pressure to perform well, and the words “rigged,” “biased,” and “tricky” often come to mind. All across America, students and parents alike experience similar feelings of pressure and confusion when it comes to the ACT test. There seems to be enough pressure to perform well in school socially and academically without the added pressure of a standardized test that has some questionable elements. Michigan's composite score for 2013 was 19.9; there are those who wonder whether or not it is indicative of Michigan student's true academic prowess. Many would hold that it is not. Standardized tests such as the ACT are unfairly biased. Therefore, the test misrepresents a student's true intelligence and academic competency and decreases a student's chances to receive needed scholarship funds. The ACT is unfairly biased toward students of a certain gender, race, and income. If one zeroes in on gender-bias, it begs the question, “How can we fix this, and if we can, should we?” First of all, the multiple choice format is biased towards boys. “Research shows that a fast-paced, multiple-choice format favors males over females. Guessing, a risk males are more likely to take, is rewarded. Since multiple-choice items do not allow for shades of meaning they work against the most typical female thinking style.” (The ACT: Biased, Inaccurate, and Misused) Apparently, boys score slightly higher than girls regardless of their race, despite the fact that boys have actually lower grades in high school than girls overall. An article on the Fair Test website stated,