Standardized Tests Are Hurting Education
“According to the 2015 PDK/Gallup Survey of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, 64 percent of Americans (and 67 percent of public school parents) say there is ‘too much emphasis on testing,’” says Tim Walker in the article “Poll: Americans Want Less Standardized Testing and More School Funding.” This statistic shows how the American public is sick of testing and there are many reasons why they do. Standardized testing for high schools students is hurting their education because it puts excessive stress on students, it narrows the learning curriculum, and it does not accurately measure the intelligence of students.
Standardized tests are something all American students will take throughout …show more content…
There is not one definite group of people who agree in standardized testing, it is more parts of different groups, such as teachers, parents, students, etc. These individuals have many reasons as to why standardized testing is exceptional and should stay as they are in schools, but one specific reason is they believe that standardized tests are an efficient and accurate way to measure student intelligence and their performance in school. The article “12 Primary Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing” states, “Without these tests, policy makers would have to depend on tests that are scored by individual teachers and schools that have a vested interest in producing favorable results.” According to the article, standardized tests accurately measure student performance because there is no teacher or school bias. There are many factors that contribute to why standardized tests do not effectively measure student performance. Standardized tests only test a part of the objectives of education and even with that part that they test, it is only broad aspects of it. Just because there would be bias if teachers graded the tests does not mean that they accurately measure student performance. This test that only covers very general topics of education cannot in any way accurately measure student …show more content…
One way to fix the problem of standardized testing is to just have fewer tests. In the article “What Schools Could Use Instead Of Standardized Tests”, author Anya Kamenetz says, “Accountability could be achieved at the district level by administering traditional standardized tests to a statistically representative sampling of students, rather than to every student every year.” This form of testing is also how the National Assessment of Educational Progress works and it is a well trusted educational test in America. This kind of testing would also place less pressure on students, therefore decreasing stress and being more healthy for their mental health. Another way to fix the problem of standardized testing is to replace it with an alternative such as stealth assessments. There are textbook publishers as well as other software companies, such as Khan Academy, that have software that students can use to practice reading and math. The programs that these companies offer can replace standardized testing. “Stealth assessment doesn 't just show which skills a student has mastered at a given moment. The pattern of answers potentially offers insights into how quickly students learn, how diligent they are and other big-picture factors” (Kamenetz). This process can cut the time and money used for standardized testing. It would also assess students’ performance more
“According to the 2015 PDK/Gallup Survey of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, 64 percent of Americans (and 67 percent of public school parents) say there is ‘too much emphasis on testing,’” says Tim Walker in the article “Poll: Americans Want Less Standardized Testing and More School Funding.” This statistic shows how the American public is sick of testing and there are many reasons why they do. Standardized testing for high schools students is hurting their education because it puts excessive stress on students, it narrows the learning curriculum, and it does not accurately measure the intelligence of students.
Standardized tests are something all American students will take throughout …show more content…
There is not one definite group of people who agree in standardized testing, it is more parts of different groups, such as teachers, parents, students, etc. These individuals have many reasons as to why standardized testing is exceptional and should stay as they are in schools, but one specific reason is they believe that standardized tests are an efficient and accurate way to measure student intelligence and their performance in school. The article “12 Primary Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing” states, “Without these tests, policy makers would have to depend on tests that are scored by individual teachers and schools that have a vested interest in producing favorable results.” According to the article, standardized tests accurately measure student performance because there is no teacher or school bias. There are many factors that contribute to why standardized tests do not effectively measure student performance. Standardized tests only test a part of the objectives of education and even with that part that they test, it is only broad aspects of it. Just because there would be bias if teachers graded the tests does not mean that they accurately measure student performance. This test that only covers very general topics of education cannot in any way accurately measure student …show more content…
One way to fix the problem of standardized testing is to just have fewer tests. In the article “What Schools Could Use Instead Of Standardized Tests”, author Anya Kamenetz says, “Accountability could be achieved at the district level by administering traditional standardized tests to a statistically representative sampling of students, rather than to every student every year.” This form of testing is also how the National Assessment of Educational Progress works and it is a well trusted educational test in America. This kind of testing would also place less pressure on students, therefore decreasing stress and being more healthy for their mental health. Another way to fix the problem of standardized testing is to replace it with an alternative such as stealth assessments. There are textbook publishers as well as other software companies, such as Khan Academy, that have software that students can use to practice reading and math. The programs that these companies offer can replace standardized testing. “Stealth assessment doesn 't just show which skills a student has mastered at a given moment. The pattern of answers potentially offers insights into how quickly students learn, how diligent they are and other big-picture factors” (Kamenetz). This process can cut the time and money used for standardized testing. It would also assess students’ performance more