Standardized Testing Flaws
A large issue with our educational system is standardized testing. Standardized tests are used to measure students academic achievement and gage teaching. While the intentions are good, the tests are flawed and often discriminate against students. Due to the weaknesses, standardized tests are an unreliable source of measuring student performance.
Standardized tests are not only used to measure student achievement. They are frequently used to gage how well teachers are teaching. These tests measure the amount of information being tested and the amount of information that isn’t learned or forgotten. Using test scores to reward and punish teachers and students encourages them to cheat the system for their own gain. For example, according to a …show more content…
Many people believed this was a good thing because these students wouldn’t be forgotten. The issue is that students with severe disabilities have been forced to take standardized tests at their grade level, even if they aren’t capable of doing the work3. These tests have great psychological impacts on the students subjected to them. Experts have said that many students are devastated by their experiences and often leave demoralized and in tears. The fact that children with disabilities are forced to face these situations is unethical.
A huge drawback to standardized testing is the stress it causes among students. For example, according to Dawn Neely-Randall, who has been teaching for over 24 years in Ohio schools, states that implemented tests have required 5th graders to undergo almost 8 hours of testing in just one week. One of Neely-Randalls students couldn’t handle the stress and broke down in the middle of one of the tests. Many students, including Neely-Randalls 5th graders, consider standardized tests unnecessarily …show more content…
It is argued that these tests provide an insight as to which students are excelling and which are struggling. Although these sound like reasons to legitimize standardized tests, there are countless reasons as to why they are not. Standardized tests fail to measure qualities such as creativity and leadership skills and encourage students and teachers to cheat the system for their own benefit. They also discriminate against students with special needs and cause unnecessary stress in the school environment. These reasons all contribute to why standardized testing is an unreliable source of measuring student
Standardized tests are not only used to measure student achievement. They are frequently used to gage how well teachers are teaching. These tests measure the amount of information being tested and the amount of information that isn’t learned or forgotten. Using test scores to reward and punish teachers and students encourages them to cheat the system for their own gain. For example, according to a …show more content…
Many people believed this was a good thing because these students wouldn’t be forgotten. The issue is that students with severe disabilities have been forced to take standardized tests at their grade level, even if they aren’t capable of doing the work3. These tests have great psychological impacts on the students subjected to them. Experts have said that many students are devastated by their experiences and often leave demoralized and in tears. The fact that children with disabilities are forced to face these situations is unethical.
A huge drawback to standardized testing is the stress it causes among students. For example, according to Dawn Neely-Randall, who has been teaching for over 24 years in Ohio schools, states that implemented tests have required 5th graders to undergo almost 8 hours of testing in just one week. One of Neely-Randalls students couldn’t handle the stress and broke down in the middle of one of the tests. Many students, including Neely-Randalls 5th graders, consider standardized tests unnecessarily …show more content…
It is argued that these tests provide an insight as to which students are excelling and which are struggling. Although these sound like reasons to legitimize standardized tests, there are countless reasons as to why they are not. Standardized tests fail to measure qualities such as creativity and leadership skills and encourage students and teachers to cheat the system for their own benefit. They also discriminate against students with special needs and cause unnecessary stress in the school environment. These reasons all contribute to why standardized testing is an unreliable source of measuring student