Education Debate Essay
Standardized testing is a major focal point in modern education systems all over the world. The purpose of the tests is to measure the student’s and teacher’s abilities, and compare them to other students from around the city, country, and world on an academic level. The comparisons are supposedly one of the many “benefits” that come with frequent and relentless standardized testing. However, these standardized tests have no benefits whatsoever; only detrimental effects on the mental and physical health of both students and educators, as well as the undermining bias directed towards the different racial and cultural groups, the minorities of the population, and the educators preparing the students for the tests. Standardized …show more content…
Standardized testing, although this was not its original purpose, became a way for school boards to measure the success rates of students at those schools and the teachers’ ability to teach the required material. This process became known as the “test and punish” approach, and can lead to an indirect bias towards teachers. If, for example, a teacher has a poor reputation among students at a school, students could purposely score lower on that particular section of a standardized test simply in attempt to get rid of or punish the disliked teacher. In fact, 220,000 students from Massachusetts high schools were required to take a standardized test in April 2000, however 200 formed staged protests encouraging students to “take a zero” on the test to skew results and initially get the testing removed from the education system. How can purposefully skewed results and several clear forms of bias towards several groups be an accurate indicator of academic achievement among a population? Ron Maggiano, a retired professor after a 33-year career, explains that the students are being taught to simply take a test. The computer grading system cannot accurately measure a student’s ability to think critically of a subject, if at all. The standardized testing system is clearly flawed, as evident among the several forms of bias effecting everyone involved, directly or not, and is one of the …show more content…
This would consequently take away from social times, as well as affecting social and academic well being. Students can only study and take in so much knowledge before they need a break, and without recess, how can anyone be sure how much of the material they are being taught is actually being retained.Testing also eats up much of a students free time, as they spend several hours a night preparing. This time spent studying and preparing could be partially used on extra-curricular activities, hobbies, exercising or doing social activities such as volunteering. Activities such as this will benefit the student physically, emotionally and socially, and can help contribute to healthier and happier students. Unhappy and unhealthy students cannot perform well in an instructional classroom environment, let alone in a stress inducing testing situation. In summary, standardized tests can torment students on emotional, physical and social levels that can harm their outlook towards education, and life in general. This is yet another of the several reasons why standardized testing needs to be excluded from the curriculum in modern
Standardized testing is a major focal point in modern education systems all over the world. The purpose of the tests is to measure the student’s and teacher’s abilities, and compare them to other students from around the city, country, and world on an academic level. The comparisons are supposedly one of the many “benefits” that come with frequent and relentless standardized testing. However, these standardized tests have no benefits whatsoever; only detrimental effects on the mental and physical health of both students and educators, as well as the undermining bias directed towards the different racial and cultural groups, the minorities of the population, and the educators preparing the students for the tests. Standardized …show more content…
Standardized testing, although this was not its original purpose, became a way for school boards to measure the success rates of students at those schools and the teachers’ ability to teach the required material. This process became known as the “test and punish” approach, and can lead to an indirect bias towards teachers. If, for example, a teacher has a poor reputation among students at a school, students could purposely score lower on that particular section of a standardized test simply in attempt to get rid of or punish the disliked teacher. In fact, 220,000 students from Massachusetts high schools were required to take a standardized test in April 2000, however 200 formed staged protests encouraging students to “take a zero” on the test to skew results and initially get the testing removed from the education system. How can purposefully skewed results and several clear forms of bias towards several groups be an accurate indicator of academic achievement among a population? Ron Maggiano, a retired professor after a 33-year career, explains that the students are being taught to simply take a test. The computer grading system cannot accurately measure a student’s ability to think critically of a subject, if at all. The standardized testing system is clearly flawed, as evident among the several forms of bias effecting everyone involved, directly or not, and is one of the …show more content…
This would consequently take away from social times, as well as affecting social and academic well being. Students can only study and take in so much knowledge before they need a break, and without recess, how can anyone be sure how much of the material they are being taught is actually being retained.Testing also eats up much of a students free time, as they spend several hours a night preparing. This time spent studying and preparing could be partially used on extra-curricular activities, hobbies, exercising or doing social activities such as volunteering. Activities such as this will benefit the student physically, emotionally and socially, and can help contribute to healthier and happier students. Unhappy and unhealthy students cannot perform well in an instructional classroom environment, let alone in a stress inducing testing situation. In summary, standardized tests can torment students on emotional, physical and social levels that can harm their outlook towards education, and life in general. This is yet another of the several reasons why standardized testing needs to be excluded from the curriculum in modern