Standardized testing has become the focus of modern school reform since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind law in 2002 (Evans 1). The act was designed to hold all public schools to a high standard of education, measured by the results of students’ test scores on statewide standardized tests. Not all students are good test takers, and not all careers require the ability to take traditional tests in order to be successful on the job. A significant number of students nowadays would care much about standardized tests. This is because students feel like they must worry about a test which directly affects their grades and ability to learn. Standardized tests place a heavy weight on students that can lead to stress, take up instruction timing, and students won’t be able to learn anything from them.…
Standardized testing has been a heavily debated topic for many years because it is not evident if testing is more beneficial or detrimental for children or schools. There are many pros and cons associated with the use of standardized testing. Most educators agree that there needs to be a method of accountability for schools and school districts. However, the question remains, are students tested too much? Additionally, to what extent can a standardize test assess students achievement? Some states use alternative methods of assessment. President Obama pledged to reduce the amount of standardized testing in our schools mainly because it is clear that standardized testing has not improved student achievement in the United States. Standardized…
When going to school students are supposed to learn based off a curriculum, but instead they are learning based off a test. These test are meant to help students, but instead they are hurting them. Standardized test requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from common bank of questions, in the same way. Also they are scored in a “standard” or consistent manner, which makes it possible to compare the relative performance of individual students or groups of students. Each state has a different name for their standardized test, for Virginia they call theirs the Standards Of Learning, SOL’s. These test are neither fair nor objective, puts pressure on the students, and it cuts off time in the school year.…
Do Standardized tests take up too much time? Standardized tests can take from 20-25 hours a year alone, not including the everyday tests teachers give to students, on tests. If the Government were to give fewer Standardized tests, it wouldn’t take as many hours as it does now to do them. The Government has said to reduce Standardized tests and the time from them. This essay will explain how Standardized tests take up too much time because kids spend too much class time on them, low quality, and the stress it provides.…
Standardized tests have existed in America since 1800s. The tests are ubiquitous attempt to measure students’ performance based on his or her ability to come up with a singular answer to multiple choice questions. A major problem with this is that all students learn differently and their ability to take the standardized test is not a valid representation. The “No Child Left Behind Act” caused a surge in the amount of standardized tests required throughout the nation. The results of these standardized testing showed that America was in the 31st position in the world in the level of education. This is reflected in our school system, which is most likely caused by the misunderstanding of the standardized testing. Standardized testing limits…
In January of 2002, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law. This act required that each state develop standardized tests for basic skills and administer the tests to all students in order to receive federal funding for their school. Each state was required to set progress goals, and each school in the state must make adequate yearly progress, meaning that each year, the current students must perform better on the test than the previous students. If these progress goals were not met continually, schools were in jeopardy of losing federal funding, and teachers were in jeopardy of losing their jobs. The ultimate goal of the No Child Left Behind Act was to have 100% of students in a school reach the state requirements by 2014.…
Brittany, an honors student in Atlanta, Georgia, had worked hard her entire academic career to celebrate what would be her proudest moment in high school: commencement. She wanted to walk across the stage to the flash of cameras and smiles of her family just like her classmates, and then journey off to a college in South Carolina where she had already been accepted. So she gathered her proud family members from Chicago and Washington, D.C., to come to share in her joy. Brittany watched as her classmates put on their caps and gowns, and walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. But she did not, and waited all during the day to get a last-minute waiver signed. She continued to wait through the night, but it never came. She began to realize that if she graduated, it would not be quick or easy. Her problem was that she had not passed one of four subject areas in the state’s graduation test, which students must pass to earn a regular diploma. She is not alone. Thousands of students, such as Brittany, every year do not make it across the stage at graduation due to failing these state tests. And many of them, such as Brittany, were honors students who had fulfilled all the other requirements of graduation except this one (Torres, 2010).…
Diagnostic tests are used to identify the needs of students that may need extra guided instruction by testing specific skills. Standardized tests are a type of diagnostic tests that are used to diagnose individual learning problems or strengths of the students. The most commonly used forms of standardized testing are when they are used to evaluate students’ progress and teachers’ and schools’ effectiveness (Slavin, 2015, p.385,386). Benchmark assessments are another way schools will assess students usually in reading and math. These assessments are used to give schools useful information on students’ progress to benefit them in the future (Slavin, 2015, p.404).…
My current event talks about how the state of Florida will soon decide how students will be evaluated based on controversial FSA (Florida Standards Assessments) test scores. The test is being criticized by teachers and parents in Florida. I definitely think that the standardized tests are way too hard. I have many friends that had good grades throughout their school year and had a bright future ahead of them but because they didn’t pass the test, they were unable to graduate, which I think is very sad. I was lucky enough to pass it finally in my senior year the FCAT. I always been good in reading class and I love reading and took me around 3 times to pass the FCAT reading. I think the passing scores are way too high for all standardized tests…
An American educator who was examining the British educational system once asked a headmaster why so little standardized testing took place in British schools. "My dear fellow," came the reply, "In Britain we are of the belief that, when a child is hungry, he should be fed, not weighed" (Bowers 1). Even though this quote can be construed as being comical and light-hearted, the anecdote suggests the obvious question: "Why do we do so much standardized testing in the United States?" Standardized testing places incredible amounts of stress on teachers and school administrators, as well as the students taking the tests who are afraid that if they don't pass this exam, they might not be able to graduate. Standardized testing does not take in to…
In today’s world, there are many social issues that are present. My group has decided to take action against one of those social issues. In particular, the social issue of standardized testing. Examples of standardized testing include the SAT and ACT. It’s a social issue because it affects millions of students every year. It’s a problem because it’s an inaccurate representation of a student’s knowledge. As a result, action needs to be taken to solve the issue. In this case, my group did a social action to raise awareness about the issue. Standardized testing is an ongoing dilemma and needs to be solved.…
“If the purpose of learning is to score well on a test, we’ve lost sight of the real reason for learning”. Admits Jeannie Fulbright. Students should not take standardized tests. Testing takes up too much time, there are too many tests, and schools have to wait too long for results.…
In doing so it hurts individual student’s education and it restricts the overall learning environment. Due to the pressure on teachers to prepare students for the STAAR or TAKS they may feel forced to “teach to the test.” Teachers may feel they are precluded from teaching their academic subjects outside of the narrow framework dictated by the standardized tests. Additionally, “teaching to the test” creates stress on both the teacher and the student to meet expected scores on the test. Sandy Kress, a Texas lawyer and former aide to President Bush aide, helped write the No Child Left Behind Act. Last week Kress stated in an interview “You’ve got drilling and benchmark testing every six weeks. Clearly, there’s a lot of over-testing in a lot of places. It’s just awful, and it draws really negative reactions from parents, teachers and communities. Tests weren’t intended to be treated that way” (“Bush, Obama focus on standardized testing leads to ‘opt-out’ parents’ movement”). Fortunately, recent actions in Texas have attempted to improve the testing environment by reducing the number of required tests each student must take. In March 2013 a bill was introduced in the Texas Senate to reduce the number of required annual standardized tests from 15 per student to five exams in core subjects (“Standardized Testing Reduced for Testing…
Standardize tests are a controversial educational issue among not only teachers and students but parents, and government officials. No one can seem to come to an agreement on if standardize tests help or hinder student learning. To understand the issue, it is important to know exactly what a standardize test is. A standardize test is a test that is broadly administered and has all students answering the same questions. The original idea behind standardize testing was to ensure that every child had a sufficient grasp on the grade level material. Critics argue that they hurt students as it forces teachers to center their teaching around how to excel on the test. But, supporters point out that the tests are the easiest way to ensure each child…
Standardized testing is everywhere. When we go to get our first driver license we take a standardized written test. Before we even arrive to our senior of high school, we have been subjected to at least 10 standardized test a year. Even in kindergarten, students are prepare for exams. Standardized testing…