The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

Attention students, please quiet down. Refrain from opening the test booklet until told to. Please refrain from flipping back to the previous test, or flipping ahead to the next test until instructed to begin it. When time is called, put your pencil down and stop filling in the bubbles. Standardized tests show schools how well students comprehend what they learned throughout their school year. Standardized tests show students how much they learned and progressed over the years. Taking these tests tends to cause students anxiety. No guarantee expressed or implied that students excel on their standardized test. Through the years statistics have proven that standardized tests have become an inadequate way to assess how students take tests, and
This format encourages a simplistic way of thinking; one either achieves the right answer or assumes incorrectly (“Is the Use”). With the use of the multiple-choice format the test scorers are not able to see how well students actually comprehend the complex material, write, apply math, or really grasp the concepts they have been taught throughout the year (“What’s Wrong”). Standardized tests also inadequately measure students’ thinking skills. Students have the potential of receiving a higher score based solely on percentage of chance if they correctly mark an option by guessing. Standardized tests intend for students to take the same style of test with the same format to make it easier for administrators to see how well their school
Many students need extra help when it comes to taking tests. These students often have trouble taking tests by themselves; they may need a teachers aide to read the question to them out loud or explain what the question asks. Students with these disabilities may need extra time to complete standardized tests. These students receive few of the accommodations that are typically provided to them as part of their Individualized Education Plans otherwise known as an IEP or their 504 Plan (“Is the Use”). Students with disabilities or special needs deserve to get help when it comes to taking standardized tests.
Students who attend schools with less money than other schools have a major disadvantage when it comes to taking standardized tests. These students are not given all of the materials they need to pass these tests. Standardized tests often take information from a certain type of textbook created by the makers of the test. Schools with less money than other schools cannot afford these textbooks for the classes. Improper education causes students to not reach their full