Do You Agree With Ravitch Analysis

Ravitch talks about testing used to determine the progress of students and decide if the school met certain standards. These tests, usually given at the end of the year, consist of multiple choice questions and supervised by a proctor with a certain allotment of time to complete. The results of these tests become basically a score to determine if the faculty and staff properly taught the students all the information they should know. If the score did not meet the standards the school could face teachers losing their jobs or the school getting completely shut down. However, the tests may not prove very accurate at concluding teacher or student achievement. Every year for at least one day, most likely more, schools have standardized testing. Students go into school like a normal day but they test the entire day instead of sitting in a class for a lecture. Many students can experience this day differently which can also affect how they score on the test. One student may have stayed awake the entire night before studying while another may have got a good night rest. A student could potentially test better when the weather gleams with sun and warmth, the day of the test they could have experienced cold weather and snow. Certain students may get distracted easily and get lost when someone talks or moves around the room. Not …show more content…
I agree with Ravitch when she talks about how the mental state of the student or even the weather can affect their testing ability. Students ability to focus in schools varies from day to day. No one knows when a student has a rough home life or even when the cold weather causes their mood to become depressed or distant. Testing can prove useful in certain situations, such as to see how much a student paid attention on a video or lecture, but I do not believe it will ever show completely accuracy of how well a student, or anyone,