General Purpose: To persuade
Specific Purpose: As a result of my speech, the audience will have a greater understanding of standardized testing and why it should be removed.
Central Idea/Thesis: Standardized testing should be removed from high school and the college acceptance process.
Preview: I will explain what standardized testing is, why it should be removed , and what can be done to remove it.
Organizational Pattern: Problem-Cause-Solution
Introduction
How many of you remember taking standardized tests?
We all took standardized tests throughout our school years to get here.
According to edglossory.org, “A standardized test is any form of test that requires all test takers to answer the similar questions …show more content…
So for the most part, standardized testing has been a very central part in our education system and has a big effect on the academic path of students.
II.
However, standardized testing should be completely removed from schools and the college admissions process.
The goal of the No Child Left Behind Act was to improve the education system.
Studies show that actually the complete opposite happened. The Act didn’t meet its goal at all.
According to standardizedtests.procon.org, “US students slipped from being ranked 18th in the world in math in 2000 to 27th in 2012, with a similar decline in science and no change in reading.”
III. There are many factors to be considered that create a disadvantage for certain people.
For example, students who go to poor schools have no chance of winning with standardized testing.
These schools don’t receive the resources needed to do well on these standardized test like many other schools do.
Some schools more well funded recieve programs for even SAT and ACT. IV. If you are a non-English speaker or a student with special needs, you are also at a loss with these tests.
There are almost no accommodations made for these students. A non-English speaking student would have to take the same English test as other …show more content…
Standardized tests should definitely be removed because of these reasons.
IV.
So what can be done to get rid of standardized testing?
There’s a lot that can be done, especially with where we live.
Last year, Obama passed a bill called the Every Student Succeeds Act making the No Child Left Behind Act more optional.
What we can do is to organize and to talk to our California officials who can legally remove standardized testing in California.
Also, a lot of California has cities that allow students to opt out of standardized tests without being penalized. IV. To get rid of the SAT and ACT, a national movement needs to be created for colleges to change their admissions process or the change can by the passing of legislation. V. A final solution, according to an article in Time Magazine,would be students graduating to college where “where the essay, the experiment and the case study still rule.”
Conclusion
The world is advancing quickly and the US needs to improve its educational system if it is to compete.
Despite that many schools force students to take standardized tests, they do not test creativity and knowledge. Most tests, such as the SAT, just test how good you are at taking