Sumira Patel
Period:1
Standardized Testing
Are our lives are seriously being determined by stress filled tests that require hours of bubbling circles? According to the Washington Post, students spend an average of 60 to 110 hours preparing for standardized tests, instead of learning in class. These tests are pointless because they are used to compare our intelligence with the rest of the world’s intelligence and rarely show the true skills of students. In reality, many kids do not even put forth any effort in answering questions accurately. Unfortunately, many schools shun this idea out and continue to endorse standardized tests. In fact, one elementary school in Texas held a test themed pep rally to encourage students and make them excited. We refuse to accept the truth that these …show more content…
Many students feel emotionally pressured when testing. John Oliver’s episode discusses how teachers have reported throwing up and even crying from students while taking the test. Recently, directions have been added for procedures to take when a student throws up on their test booklet. Something must be wrong with our system if directions to treat ill patients are included in a test booklet that is supposed to be measuring the skills of students. The initial purpose of these tests created in the 90s, to raise the United State’s intellectual standards compared to the intellectual standards of the rest of the world, has completely been forgotten. Instead, a concept of “value-added analysis” has been incorporated to link students tests scores to teacher pay. All that a teacher can do is hope for higher scoring students that will raise their ratings and their pay. Although this idea theoretically sounds like a great idea, when put into practice it proves to be a fraud. One sixth grade student, who had an estimated value of 286 points, scored 283 points on the test because that was the maximum number of points
Period:1
Standardized Testing
Are our lives are seriously being determined by stress filled tests that require hours of bubbling circles? According to the Washington Post, students spend an average of 60 to 110 hours preparing for standardized tests, instead of learning in class. These tests are pointless because they are used to compare our intelligence with the rest of the world’s intelligence and rarely show the true skills of students. In reality, many kids do not even put forth any effort in answering questions accurately. Unfortunately, many schools shun this idea out and continue to endorse standardized tests. In fact, one elementary school in Texas held a test themed pep rally to encourage students and make them excited. We refuse to accept the truth that these …show more content…
Many students feel emotionally pressured when testing. John Oliver’s episode discusses how teachers have reported throwing up and even crying from students while taking the test. Recently, directions have been added for procedures to take when a student throws up on their test booklet. Something must be wrong with our system if directions to treat ill patients are included in a test booklet that is supposed to be measuring the skills of students. The initial purpose of these tests created in the 90s, to raise the United State’s intellectual standards compared to the intellectual standards of the rest of the world, has completely been forgotten. Instead, a concept of “value-added analysis” has been incorporated to link students tests scores to teacher pay. All that a teacher can do is hope for higher scoring students that will raise their ratings and their pay. Although this idea theoretically sounds like a great idea, when put into practice it proves to be a fraud. One sixth grade student, who had an estimated value of 286 points, scored 283 points on the test because that was the maximum number of points