Scott 1
Skyler Scott
Professor Hoffman
ENGL 111
Penny Essay
31 August 2015
If I Could Change any Law
Standardized testing is common practice throughout the United States. Standardized testing is used to measure academic achievement. Many people will argue that we need standardized testing.However, standardized tests promote competition, resulting in a ranking of students, schools, and states against one another. Standardized testing is not an accurate indication of individual student success. Especially when testing scores are evaluated and there is no consideration given to schools and school districts in low-income communities that lack essential resources. Standardized testing is a stressful situation and many students have difficult
time …show more content…
There is more to learning than what is evaluated on a standardized test.
With so much riding on the results of standardized testing, teachers often feel compelled to teach to the tests. In some schools, less time is being spent on the sciences, social studies and the arts to prepare students to take the tests in math, reading, and writing. A major issue surrounding education today is that teachers "teach to the test.” In other words, some teachers only educate their students on topics that are going to show up on standardized tests in the future.
It is not fair to our education. We should be learning for ourselves, not for others. If a student is passionate about a topic that will not show up on the test, they have no way of exemplifying their
Scott 3 thoughts. Education should be about helping a student discover their niche, not teaching a student how to pass a standardized test. Teaching by the test focuses the curriculum on essential content and skills, and eliminates activities that produce learning gains. The fact that learning gains are not being produced is proof that standardized testing is not necessary for measuring academic achievement.
However, for many students, standardized testing provides an opportunity to
Skyler Scott
Professor Hoffman
ENGL 111
Penny Essay
31 August 2015
If I Could Change any Law
Standardized testing is common practice throughout the United States. Standardized testing is used to measure academic achievement. Many people will argue that we need standardized testing.However, standardized tests promote competition, resulting in a ranking of students, schools, and states against one another. Standardized testing is not an accurate indication of individual student success. Especially when testing scores are evaluated and there is no consideration given to schools and school districts in low-income communities that lack essential resources. Standardized testing is a stressful situation and many students have difficult
time …show more content…
There is more to learning than what is evaluated on a standardized test.
With so much riding on the results of standardized testing, teachers often feel compelled to teach to the tests. In some schools, less time is being spent on the sciences, social studies and the arts to prepare students to take the tests in math, reading, and writing. A major issue surrounding education today is that teachers "teach to the test.” In other words, some teachers only educate their students on topics that are going to show up on standardized tests in the future.
It is not fair to our education. We should be learning for ourselves, not for others. If a student is passionate about a topic that will not show up on the test, they have no way of exemplifying their
Scott 3 thoughts. Education should be about helping a student discover their niche, not teaching a student how to pass a standardized test. Teaching by the test focuses the curriculum on essential content and skills, and eliminates activities that produce learning gains. The fact that learning gains are not being produced is proof that standardized testing is not necessary for measuring academic achievement.
However, for many students, standardized testing provides an opportunity to