Standardized Testing

Why Standardized Testing is Not So Bad
Standardized testing is a hot topic in the education system. Many people believe that this kind of testing does not accurately portray a students’ level of academia. However, many benefits of standardized testing go without being noticed. I believe that standardized testing not only helps the students with their education but also provides teachers and parents an insight on the students’ level of education by providing them with statistics and percentages of the previous test scores.
One of the biggest learning tools that standardized testing provides, is that it motivates teachers to work harder and more effectively. If a teacher knows from a previous test what the students struggled with, then the teacher will know that they need to spend more time on that topic. They will also know that the things the students did well on should be taught first; that way those things are done and out of the way. Also, teachers can better identify their areas of strength and weakness in their teaching plans and then can restructure them.
Parents can also benefit from standardized testing by being able to keep track of their child’s scores to see how much they are growing over time within each subject (Meadows and Karr-Kidwell 20). The parents are also able to learn how well their local school system is doing compared to other areas because of the different percentages and averages of these standardized tests. Without these percentages no one would know the progress of the students or the areas that need improvement within the classroom. Every school district competes with each other academically to see which school has the better teaching staff or the better students. A lot of parents like to know what is going on within the school system, testing being one of those main things. That way, if their child is in a school that usually gets low-test scores they can transfer them to a school that has a higher test score average. Standardized testing also tracks the students and their progress throughout their academic career and gives them an opportunity to grow by showing them how well they are progressing. Every year schools have some type of standardized testing distributed to the students. Whether the tests being distributed are officially counted or not, the tests are still determining the students’ progress. Sometimes there are mini-standardized tests throughout the entire school year. In elementary schools they do the MAP Testing, which allows the staff to see how well, or not so well, their students are progressing.
Students, I believe, benefit the most from these tests. Standardized testing helps students to associate personal effort with rewards and motivates them to work harder in school. The initial motivator in most schools is the fact that the tests determine whether or not you get promoted to the next grade level. In high school, the initial motivator is rewards, such as exemptions, money prizes, and gift cards. The testing and its feedback sends clearer signals to students about what they need to study (Kemmerling and Hicks 1). This in turn will motivate students to work harder to improve their scores. If a student knows that there is a standard score set that they have to achieve, they are going to work harder than usual to be able to get that “average” score.
Tests such as the ACT and SATs have been shown to accurately predict a students’ future performance (Kemmerling 1). To further education the two tests play very important roles. Many, if not all, colleges require a student to take at least one of these tests, and make a certain score to be accepted. Eliminating the SATs and ACTs would result in numerous negative consequences. A study found that if colleges did not require these scores from prospective students, they would have to raise their standard high school GPA to unrealistic expectations just to balance out the admissions process (Kemmerling 1). This would not only cause chaos for the forthcoming students, but it would cause a lot more madness for the colleges.
Many on the opposing side believe that Standardized tests are only designed to predict first year grades, and they also believe that this prediction is unreasonably wrong. People who disagree with standardized testing believe that the SAT’s and other tests like this are basically a waste of time and money. These people believe that the money being spent on these tests can be used for other things such as, rebuilding the schools or getting more supplies for the classrooms. If these tests are completely taken away, and schools use the evaluation testing like some people want them to, this will cost even more money that the standardized testing system we have now. The evaluation testing will require hired people to sit and evaluate each student individually, which will cost a lot more money than just sending a piece of paper through a machine. So, even though taking the standard tests out may seem logically correct, doing so is definitely a bad decision. Our economy is bad enough, so why would we want to cost ourselves more money than we need to. Also, grading is another issue if these observation tests replace the standardized tests. The observation tests can, and will more than likely, be bias. This in turn can cause many problems for the students and their futures.
Those who like standardized testing realize that it is the best type of testing we can afford with the way our economy is declining. Performance-based tests will more than likely cost more money (Glatthorn 2). The standards these tests are set at are to make sure that the students are being tested on the same materials. The grading is standardized, so test scores are the same no matter who or what is scoring them. One person, instead of a computer, would grade essay and critical thinking questions. This would not only cost more money, but it could lead to bias grading as well.
Many people do not agree, however, that standardized testing is the best thing. Some say that standardization can make the quality and quantity of what is taught and learned in schools decrease. They believe that if teachers solely teach from what they know the children will be tested on it will not help the students to know much simpler things. People on the pro side think that if the students just learn what they are being tested on, it will help them to focus on just that and not think about other subjects that having nothing to do with what is on the test.
Although the restrictions of standardized testing are quite obvious, the fact that it pushes students to think critically should make people realize why this type of testing should be kept in the school systems. Standardized testing is a way to challenge students more than they have been challenged in the past. By keeping standardized testing in our systems, parents and teachers are making sure that students in America stay competitive with students all around the world. This is because people around the world have a much higher standard level than many schools in America. The system of standardized testing may not be perfect, but it is an effective approach that will ultimately lead to the improvement of school districts, teachers, and student learning. It will lead to the improvement for student learning by pushing the students out of their safe zone and into a critical thinking zone. Teachers are challenged to teach in a way that is not only comprehendible but easy to remember as well. This in turn improving the way teachers teach. Overall, standardized testing should be kept in the school system and not traded out for observation testing.