A developing controversy surrounding standardized test may have you question what education is really coming to. Topics concerning standardized tests have been a growing controversy since 2004, and even in 2016, the issues surrounding them refuse to cease. The way standardized test are used now; are to measure, predict, and compare a student’s intelligence and academic performance, and a schools ability to provide students with a strong academic performance. Even some school districts are against what standardized tests are doing, for example, in 2012, more than 100 Texas school districts passed a resolution claiming that standardized tests are “strangling” public schools. School districts came together passing a resolution arguing that standardized
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Because standardized testing is the most accurate way to find out what a student knows, it would be inconsiderable to even question removing this practice from schools. This is a bias for many arguments that standardized tests should continue to be used in the future of education. According to Dan Beaupré’s article “Testing Our Schools”, “Advocates say that standardized tests are the most objective and accurate assessments of students' knowledge and skills. By creating norm groups or specific criteria to which students are compared, they say, test makers can measure each student's abilities with precision” (Beaupré). Standardized tests are seen as superior to other methods when it comes to its uses by many people. Because of the practicing of standardized tests according to “Bless the tests: Three reasons for standardized testing”, test makers are able to provide people with an “accurate, unfiltered measure of what a student knows” (Churchill). Because they believe this is the most accurate and unfiltered way of measuring what a student knows, advocates believe and support the use of standardized testing in …show more content…
Critic Anya Kamenetz, NPR's lead education blogger, and also the author of several books about the future of education, proves that there are worthy alternatives to the test in her article “What Schools Could Use Instead Of Standardized Tests”, when she states that in Scotland they assess their students with “Inspections” instead of standardized tests, which is similar to the test where they survey math and literacy. But unlike standardized tests, they emphasize “a wide range of approaches to assessment, including presentations, performances and reports”(Kamenetz). This way the assessments are designed to value creativity, diversity, and also the basic knowledge of “traditional” academics of the students. Because these tests not only evaluate students, teachers are also getting the heat. In the article, “How Standardized Testing Damages Education” submitted by Fairtest.org, they state that a nine year study by the National Research Council found negative effects of the tests such as “teaching to the test, pushing students out of school, driving teachers out of the profession…”(Fairtest). Because a schools salary, and teacher’s jobs are on the line when it comes to their students results on these test, it’s less likely that
Because standardized testing is the most accurate way to find out what a student knows, it would be inconsiderable to even question removing this practice from schools. This is a bias for many arguments that standardized tests should continue to be used in the future of education. According to Dan Beaupré’s article “Testing Our Schools”, “Advocates say that standardized tests are the most objective and accurate assessments of students' knowledge and skills. By creating norm groups or specific criteria to which students are compared, they say, test makers can measure each student's abilities with precision” (Beaupré). Standardized tests are seen as superior to other methods when it comes to its uses by many people. Because of the practicing of standardized tests according to “Bless the tests: Three reasons for standardized testing”, test makers are able to provide people with an “accurate, unfiltered measure of what a student knows” (Churchill). Because they believe this is the most accurate and unfiltered way of measuring what a student knows, advocates believe and support the use of standardized testing in …show more content…
Critic Anya Kamenetz, NPR's lead education blogger, and also the author of several books about the future of education, proves that there are worthy alternatives to the test in her article “What Schools Could Use Instead Of Standardized Tests”, when she states that in Scotland they assess their students with “Inspections” instead of standardized tests, which is similar to the test where they survey math and literacy. But unlike standardized tests, they emphasize “a wide range of approaches to assessment, including presentations, performances and reports”(Kamenetz). This way the assessments are designed to value creativity, diversity, and also the basic knowledge of “traditional” academics of the students. Because these tests not only evaluate students, teachers are also getting the heat. In the article, “How Standardized Testing Damages Education” submitted by Fairtest.org, they state that a nine year study by the National Research Council found negative effects of the tests such as “teaching to the test, pushing students out of school, driving teachers out of the profession…”(Fairtest). Because a schools salary, and teacher’s jobs are on the line when it comes to their students results on these test, it’s less likely that