Standardized Testing In Education

Education, a universal tool vital for any country to advance and be prosperous. The growth and development of a person, or even a nation requires a small amount of knowledge. Almost everyone knows who is referenced when talking about Albert Einstein or Benjamin Carson. Both these amazing men made great advancements in history through their use of knowledge. Education is the backbone of this great American country. It is the reason behind countless discoveries. Without knowledge and education we would not be where we are today, one of the leading nations in technology. We would not be a first world country and we would not have everything that we do if it were not for the education of those who came before us. To be educated we need teacher, …show more content…
They are used to calculate a student’s growth and knowledge. Although some may feel as if this a super-efficient way of calculating how well a teacher instructs and a student learns this is not the case. According to Gerald W. Bracey, PhD, education researcher, studies have been conducted to disprove this theory. Standardized test lack in measuring a person’s “creativity, critical thinking, reliance, motivation…responsibility, empathy…leadership…and sense of wonder” (ProCon). These characteristics go beyond simple multiple choice questions. Any student can learn for a test but not all students can apply the knowledge outside the classroom. Not only does a standardized test not fully measure a students it can also cause severe stress. Students can stress so much they can become ill or upset. Many of these side effects can evolve at a young age and continue to impact them throughout their lives. Students know that these tests my affect their future so they may do something drastic to pass, such as cheating and taking performance drugs. Teachers also know that the students test scores my affect their job security or salary making it easy to convince themselves to alter test scores. Test scores may also take months to receive results leaving students without their scores and no way to receive feedback. This may make students uninterested and does not allow for them to get the criticism they need to better …show more content…
Beginning in 2010 and almost fully adopted mid-2011 a new policy took act that set a common standard in English/language arts and mathematics (EducationWeek). This new standard designed common tests that were to be given to the students (EducationWeek). While some believe this is the more reasonable approach, students on average made more mistakes when it came to the test. This idea might have had a good start, but the results show otherwise. They showed that “standards on some states were far more clear and rigorous than others” (EducationWeek). To solve this problem a recommendation made, was to design tests state by state. For example, the no child left behind policy act of 2011 allowed states to “set their own proficiency scores, reaching that “proficient” mark in some places is far easier than others, leaving vast numbers of students unprepared to thrive in college” (EducationWeek). Experts are still unsure with knowing when to adjust the curve, they share their “concern about whether standards-state or common-are too high or too low” (EducationWeek). Mistakenly the board of education sometimes sets the bar too high, making the goal unattainable, or even too low not allowing for full potential. Rather than allowing each state to determine the curriculum it adopts, a national curriculum should be