Persuasive Essay: The Use Of Standardized Testing In Schools

Standardized Testing In theory, standardized testing is a great way to maintain a baseline of who is learning what material, when and how well based on a set of materials and curriculum presented. The problem with the theory is that in practice, every student is working from a different starting point, not only in the way that they learn information, but also in their education history and experiences. To say that standardized tests give all students an equal opportunity to show their skills is to deny all students who test poorly for a variety of reasons outside of their control that same opportunity. In doing so, one also ignores that the teachers, administrations and institutions that are built around the results of tests that are primarily designed to showcase only someone’s ability in taking a test under controlled circumstances. Schools are designed to teach not only facts and figures, but also to teach students to think for themselves, to critically examine the things we are taught and the ways we reach our conclusions. For students to prepare for these tests schools must cut “unnecessary” pieces of the curriculum like art and music, to focus more intently on topics of standardized testing. This pressure eliminates creativity and critical thought which is key to …show more content…
There are students who were born with creative minds and are natural out of the box thinkers. When put in confined limits of learning it becomes difficult to find interest in these topics. In many cases this lack of interest results in lower test grades. When these students struggle, and fail these repeated tests they begin to feel hopeless and stupid which may cause a host of problems in these student’s lives. For students to pass, they must only focus on the test information. “Students are learning how to take high-stake-tests but cannot demonstrate mastery when tested in a different format.” (Strauss,