Introduction Contrary to popular discourse, standardized testing is not unique to the United States alone. According to Holmes (2010), numerous other countries in the world use standardized testing as the chief method of determining the achievement, growth and progress of students. Although the practice of standardized testing has been part of the American schooling fabric for almost two centuries, its use increased rapidly after the introduction of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2001 by the Bush administration. This act, according to Ahn & Vigdor (2013) “introduced the first nationwide annual standardized testing requirement for students in third through to eighth grade.”
On the one hand, NCLB critics argue that it necessitated an …show more content…
While this may be true, it cannot escape the mind that the kind of discrimination exhibited by the American education system in the context of standardized tests is not personal; rather, it is institutional-based. How does this occur? To begin with, it has been established previously that the principal aim of the NCLB Act, which served as the driver for standardized testing, was to realize 100% proficiency that was to be measured through test performances.
To this effect, the burden to realize proficiency goals and steer clear from sanctions resulted in a negative attitude by schools towards students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, those from poor backgrounds such as African Americans, and those learning English as Second Language (ESL) (Columbia University, 2013). According to Columbia University (2013), standardized testing cultivated in schools the misconception that such students exhibited a propensity to score poorly in standardized tests, and were therefore unfit for …show more content…
In fact, according to Ahn & Vigdor (2013), the NCLB Act resulted in some befits such as improved scores I both reading and math, and some degree of accountability among schools and teachers. However, the cons of standardized testing far outweigh the pros because it takes up valuable instruction time, narrows the educational curriculum, and systemically promotes discrimination. For these reasons, standardized testing is of little advantage to the American education
On the one hand, NCLB critics argue that it necessitated an …show more content…
While this may be true, it cannot escape the mind that the kind of discrimination exhibited by the American education system in the context of standardized tests is not personal; rather, it is institutional-based. How does this occur? To begin with, it has been established previously that the principal aim of the NCLB Act, which served as the driver for standardized testing, was to realize 100% proficiency that was to be measured through test performances.
To this effect, the burden to realize proficiency goals and steer clear from sanctions resulted in a negative attitude by schools towards students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, those from poor backgrounds such as African Americans, and those learning English as Second Language (ESL) (Columbia University, 2013). According to Columbia University (2013), standardized testing cultivated in schools the misconception that such students exhibited a propensity to score poorly in standardized tests, and were therefore unfit for …show more content…
In fact, according to Ahn & Vigdor (2013), the NCLB Act resulted in some befits such as improved scores I both reading and math, and some degree of accountability among schools and teachers. However, the cons of standardized testing far outweigh the pros because it takes up valuable instruction time, narrows the educational curriculum, and systemically promotes discrimination. For these reasons, standardized testing is of little advantage to the American education