Limiting The Standards Of Standardized Testing Essay
Limiting the Standards of Standardized Testing
The Virginia Standards of Learning exams were introduced to public schools in1997. The testing begins in the third grade and continues through high school. Before 2014, students were required to take twenty-two state mandated Standards of Learning tests; that has since been reduced to seventeen. High school students must pass six Standards of Learning tests to earn a diploma. I believe students are being over tested and these standardized tests are being used unfairly to evaluate schools and teachers.
There are certain characteristics that standardized tests cannot measure, such as critical thinking, creativity, motivation, and curiosity. The questions on the test are general in nature, making it hard for teachers to know how to improve students’ understanding of a topic based on general information alone. This causes teachers to “teach to the …show more content…
This started with President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” Act (2002), which requires states to rate schools based on test results to receive federal funds. A school that consistently fails to meet yearly progress standards may not be able to access various grants in addition to other forms of funding. After a few years of failing to meet these standards, a school can be closed altogether. Parents, as well as students, do have the option to “opt out” of taking these tests. However, if a parent or student refuses to take a test, the assessment counts as a zero. In high school, a zero means fail, and a “fail’” means just that. If you opt out, you will not be able to graduate. In elementary and middle school, the rules are up to each individual school. If enough students opt-out of taking the state's annual Standards of Learning tests, the resulting scores of zeros for those students could drag down the entire school's accreditation rating. In the end, the school is unfairly punished if a parent or student opts
The Virginia Standards of Learning exams were introduced to public schools in1997. The testing begins in the third grade and continues through high school. Before 2014, students were required to take twenty-two state mandated Standards of Learning tests; that has since been reduced to seventeen. High school students must pass six Standards of Learning tests to earn a diploma. I believe students are being over tested and these standardized tests are being used unfairly to evaluate schools and teachers.
There are certain characteristics that standardized tests cannot measure, such as critical thinking, creativity, motivation, and curiosity. The questions on the test are general in nature, making it hard for teachers to know how to improve students’ understanding of a topic based on general information alone. This causes teachers to “teach to the …show more content…
This started with President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” Act (2002), which requires states to rate schools based on test results to receive federal funds. A school that consistently fails to meet yearly progress standards may not be able to access various grants in addition to other forms of funding. After a few years of failing to meet these standards, a school can be closed altogether. Parents, as well as students, do have the option to “opt out” of taking these tests. However, if a parent or student refuses to take a test, the assessment counts as a zero. In high school, a zero means fail, and a “fail’” means just that. If you opt out, you will not be able to graduate. In elementary and middle school, the rules are up to each individual school. If enough students opt-out of taking the state's annual Standards of Learning tests, the resulting scores of zeros for those students could drag down the entire school's accreditation rating. In the end, the school is unfairly punished if a parent or student opts