I am Gautam Vachaspati, a student at Keller Middle school based in keller, TX.
Even though I find no trouble in the local STAAR tests, or standardized tests in other states, I find that, after careful research, standardized tests like the STAAR can be harmful to students and there might be too much testing going on in schools. A local newspaper in Florida’s Lee County analyzed the tests given by Lee County schools and I quote, “52 percent of the assessments that students take are district mandated, while less than half are state required. In other words, overtesting in Lee County might not be only a state and federal problem but a local problem as well.” From American Progress.org . These low-quality, bubble in tests don’t properly evaluate …show more content…
An article in the Washington Post states: “A typical student takes 112 mandated standardized tests between pre-kindergarten classes and 12th grade, a new Council of the Great City Schools study found. By contrast, most countries that outperform the United States on international exams test students three times during their school careers.” In this quote, it stated that the amounts of tests grade school students take is an impediment to their learning and that these tests are actually stopping the U.S from being a smarter and more intelligent country. These tests are held in such high regard that the regular learning curve throughout the year is interrupted by test “boot camps” and weeks of review that could otherwise be used for progressing the mind in that subject. From a young age, even to a teenage, the brains of children are plastic, or the ability to easily learn and develop new skills. Examples of neuroplasticity are why you should learn to speak a language or play a new instrument while you are young, and while your brain can learn and retain new abilities. Students aren’t the only ones affected by this widespread problem. Teachers are pressured on properly preparing their students for these mandated tests because
Even though I find no trouble in the local STAAR tests, or standardized tests in other states, I find that, after careful research, standardized tests like the STAAR can be harmful to students and there might be too much testing going on in schools. A local newspaper in Florida’s Lee County analyzed the tests given by Lee County schools and I quote, “52 percent of the assessments that students take are district mandated, while less than half are state required. In other words, overtesting in Lee County might not be only a state and federal problem but a local problem as well.” From American Progress.org . These low-quality, bubble in tests don’t properly evaluate …show more content…
An article in the Washington Post states: “A typical student takes 112 mandated standardized tests between pre-kindergarten classes and 12th grade, a new Council of the Great City Schools study found. By contrast, most countries that outperform the United States on international exams test students three times during their school careers.” In this quote, it stated that the amounts of tests grade school students take is an impediment to their learning and that these tests are actually stopping the U.S from being a smarter and more intelligent country. These tests are held in such high regard that the regular learning curve throughout the year is interrupted by test “boot camps” and weeks of review that could otherwise be used for progressing the mind in that subject. From a young age, even to a teenage, the brains of children are plastic, or the ability to easily learn and develop new skills. Examples of neuroplasticity are why you should learn to speak a language or play a new instrument while you are young, and while your brain can learn and retain new abilities. Students aren’t the only ones affected by this widespread problem. Teachers are pressured on properly preparing their students for these mandated tests because