Arguments Against Standardized Testing

Controversy over standardized testing sprang up as America’s ranking in education in the world’s system began to falter. The failure of education has been blamed on the increase in usage of standardized tests. This has brought up the issue whether schools should continue the usage of standardized testing because America’s diminishing education is linked to over testing. Although standardized testing has been around for quite some time with significantly increased test scores, the repercussions of continually testing students has degraded students’ abilities of real world application with rudimentary preparations. As students are being continuously tested teachers are obligated to teach students the test. A five-year study that concluded in 2007 indicates “declines in teaching higher-order thinking, in the amount of time spent of complex assignments, and in the actual amount to high cognitive content in the curriculum” (11). The author highlights that teachers feel the pressure to teach students the test in order to have potential growth in their scores. Consequently, …show more content…
Why disband a test that is used to calculate growth and placement? Without such testing “policymakers would have to rely on tests scored by individual schools who have vested interest in producing favorable results” (55). The passage exemplifies the need for a broad and generic form of data that is fair and unbiased in both aspects of taking and scoring the test. Nevertheless, teachers should not feel pressured to teach the test to students, while students should not feel pressured to learn skills for the test. In other words, standardized tests should be based on skills that were developed through students’ education, rather than skills they have to develop solely for scoring better on the test. The real growth of a student comes when they are able to incorporate what they have learned into a real life