Standardized Testing: Objective Or Fair?

Standardized tests originated in 7th century Imperial China, though they were formatted much differently then. Since the mid 1800’s standardized has been apart of American education. Although since the No Child Left Behind Act passed in 2002 the amount of standardized tests in the 50 states has increased drastically. Supporters of standardized tests say that they are a fair and objective way to measure students knowledge. However, many are against standardized testing as well. People looking at from this perspective believe that these tests are not objective or fair, the opposite of the supporters. They say that the use of standardized tests are directed on a very specific learning curriculum, and that they undermine people who are innovators
Standardized tests have not improved students achievements. When No Child Left Behind was passed in 2002, it required students in 3rd grade and above to take state standardized tests. Before this law was passed, the United States was ranked 18th in the world in math. Though after the law was passed in 2009 the United States ranking went down to 31st in the world. The same pattern was found for science rankings. This may have been caused by standardized tests, when the law was passed students were not used to these tests and did not like or want to take them so they did not try their best. Also the tests may have stressed students out and made it so they could not focus on the tests. As of 2011 there has been no evidence saying that these tests are helping, and this suggests that they are not. From 2001-2008 Finland was at the top of the international education rankings. Linda Darling-Hammond and Laura McCloskey inform us that “(Finland has) no external standardized tests used to rank students or schools they have assessments that encourage students to be active learners who can find, analyze, and use information to solve problems in novel situations.” This proves that standardized aren’t making kids smarter, it's not about all the tests you take. This also tells us that Standardized are not necessary for great achievements. Standardized tests can cause severe stress in students. According to Gregory J. Cizek, an education researcher, “Standardized Testing produces gripping anxiety in even the brightest students, and can even make students have reactions such as crying or vomiting.” Accordingly it has been reported that the Stanford-9 exam, a standardized test, gives students such bad jitters it comes with special instructions. These tell students what they should do with a test booklet if they vomit on it. These reasons all suggest that standardized testing should be