Every year, 5-10% of American students are held back in school. Often, this is caused by poor standardized test scores. Standardized testing is a part of every student’s school year. Students’ knowledge is not always measured correctly with standardized tests. This can lead to stress for students and poor conclusions about their intelligence. Standardized testing is not an accurate measurement of achievement because it is an unreliable measure of students’ intelligence, it changes the curriculum, and causes stress.
Standardized testing is an unreliable measure of student performance. These tests assume that all children learn the same, which is not true. Also, according to Gerald W. Bracey, PhD, they cannot measure certain things such as creativity, critical thinking, motivation, enthusiasm, leadership, and many more. In addition, in a 2001 study, they found that 50-80% of test score progress is only temporary. Researchers …show more content…
The stress of wanting to do well causes teachers to change what they focus on in class. For example, a 5-year study done in 2007 by the University of Maryland found that the pressure teachers were feeling to “teach to the test” decreases class time spent on assignments and cognitive content. Also, teachers often focus on math and reading because those are the subjects tested in standardized tests. In fact, a study by the Center on Education Policy reported that 44% of schools have spent less time on science, social studies, and arts by about 145 minutes in order to spend more time on math and reading. Also, they can force teachers to skill-drill, which results in memorizing. Similarly, one research done in March said that the obsession with testing took away time for play in kindergarten and replaced it with lessons. Because of standardized tests, schools are spending less time on non-test subjects in order to make time for test subjects and
Standardized testing is an unreliable measure of student performance. These tests assume that all children learn the same, which is not true. Also, according to Gerald W. Bracey, PhD, they cannot measure certain things such as creativity, critical thinking, motivation, enthusiasm, leadership, and many more. In addition, in a 2001 study, they found that 50-80% of test score progress is only temporary. Researchers …show more content…
The stress of wanting to do well causes teachers to change what they focus on in class. For example, a 5-year study done in 2007 by the University of Maryland found that the pressure teachers were feeling to “teach to the test” decreases class time spent on assignments and cognitive content. Also, teachers often focus on math and reading because those are the subjects tested in standardized tests. In fact, a study by the Center on Education Policy reported that 44% of schools have spent less time on science, social studies, and arts by about 145 minutes in order to spend more time on math and reading. Also, they can force teachers to skill-drill, which results in memorizing. Similarly, one research done in March said that the obsession with testing took away time for play in kindergarten and replaced it with lessons. Because of standardized tests, schools are spending less time on non-test subjects in order to make time for test subjects and