Tracing the origin of standardized testing led to the discovery that educational pioneer Horace Mann had the idea of implementing a system of testing measured achievement and provided equal opportunities for all children. Previously an assessment of accomplishment, these tests morphed into a standard of ability. Intelligence tests grew in popularity in the twentieth century. The Army Alpha and Beta Tests identified and separated the slower learners from the highest achievers. The Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, began in the 1920’s and is still prominent today. These high-stake tests hold a heavy weight of importance and can be the determining factor for many students in their educational advancement throughout their entire life. What was
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Standardized tests fail in accuracy because they measure a student’s academic level in a matter of hours on a single day. For example, some students perform well on tests, while others struggle immensely in testing environments. Despite the fact that many of these students are intelligent, capable students who understand the content, they will fail due to their inability to accurately portray their knowledge. While high-stakes testing begins in kindergarten, students eventually take tests to graduate or be placed in a higher university. However, students among the same age vary widely in development. Testing a group of third grades with a single test overlooks the differences in cognitive, emotional, and social development that is natural among young students. The idea of a student’s future depending on a single setting is imprecise and overlooks several important outside …show more content…
Additionally, socioeconomic status has repeatedly been an indicator of achievement. “Students who come from wealthier backgrounds have usually been exposed to much richer experiences, experiences that equate to success on standardized tests,” (Jones 118). All of these factors combines to create a gap between those with disadvantages and the rest of the students, leading to generations that are prone to the negative consequences of being marginalized (Solórzano 261). Numerically, high-stakes standardized testing proves to be fair- for wealthy, white, and intelligent English
Standardized tests fail in accuracy because they measure a student’s academic level in a matter of hours on a single day. For example, some students perform well on tests, while others struggle immensely in testing environments. Despite the fact that many of these students are intelligent, capable students who understand the content, they will fail due to their inability to accurately portray their knowledge. While high-stakes testing begins in kindergarten, students eventually take tests to graduate or be placed in a higher university. However, students among the same age vary widely in development. Testing a group of third grades with a single test overlooks the differences in cognitive, emotional, and social development that is natural among young students. The idea of a student’s future depending on a single setting is imprecise and overlooks several important outside …show more content…
Additionally, socioeconomic status has repeatedly been an indicator of achievement. “Students who come from wealthier backgrounds have usually been exposed to much richer experiences, experiences that equate to success on standardized tests,” (Jones 118). All of these factors combines to create a gap between those with disadvantages and the rest of the students, leading to generations that are prone to the negative consequences of being marginalized (Solórzano 261). Numerically, high-stakes standardized testing proves to be fair- for wealthy, white, and intelligent English