Standardized Testing In Texas Essay

Standardized testing and sources My policy topic I have chosen will be over standardized testing in Texas. Standardized testing in the state of Texas has been around since 1980 starting with TABS and has since evolved into the STAAR test (STAAR stands for “State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.”) The STAAR test is supposed to test students over reading, writing, math social studies, science etc. Over the years that STAAR has been around, there have been several incidents with scoring results, and test in general such not having the right answer or testing malfunctions. Supporters for standardized testing argue that testing is a great way to make sure students have the basic skills in order to join the workforce or receive a higher …show more content…
For example, students who are either in the low income, minority, or disabilities bracket will tend to not pass and most likely not graduate. As for teachers, some will feel that they are teaching to the test not based on any literary depth and some schools offer teachers incentives to get the highest test scores. My sister who teaches in middle school has been told in recent years that her students are “just a number” and if she receives high enough scores, she could receive a raise. She believes that she is teaching solely strategies on how to take the test rather than actual literary content and that the test does not accurately measure her student’s skills. I truly believe we should do away with standardized testing in Texas. Standardized testing puts a huge label on the student body that not everyone just fits under. By trying to make everyone equal, we are compromising equity. I plan to ask Governor Greg Abbott to abolish standardized testing and instead reform our public-school education sour youth can actually be prepared for the workforce, high education and even just life in