Standardized Testing

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Recommended: Standardized testing effects on education

Income and reading have a huge impact on why some students do better than others on standardized tests. Researchers conducted a survey to collect data through home observations and interviews. “The results reported help explain why low-income White students usually have higher mean scores on standardized tests than middle-income African Americans and why middle-income White students have higher mean scores than upper-income African Americans” (Jairrells 2). Researchers use the terms “poor” and “non-poor” to determine the status of families. This survey showed a greater percentage of poor white families having ten or more books in their home than non-poor African American families (Jairrells 3). Some families read more to their children because …show more content…

For example, in California’s assessment system, the content standards are not properly aligned with meaningful instruction (Montgomery 1). Some teachers have no idea what they are supposed to be teaching their students to prepare them for standardized tests. This leaves out a lot of meaningful information the kids need to know to be successful on these tests. Also, this leads students not understanding core concepts. California schools started a test that would prepare students for the real exam which was called STAR testing (Montgomery 2). This helped students significantly. This test covered the core content areas of English, Social Science, Science, and Mathematics (Montgomery 2). This test did not count for anything more than your individual progress of where you are at and if the students needed to spend more time studying. Teachers and administration were having a hard time keeping the students engaged to take the test seriously (Montgomery 3). This leads to handing out special privileges to the students who pas the STAR …show more content…

Assessments must be worth taking for the students. These assessments should present useful information and questions to push the students to think and gain valuable experience when taking these tests (Testing Action Plan 1). The tests should be made with high quality. Test with high quality result in actionable, objective information about the student knowledge and skills (Testing Action Plan 1). Students will only spend a certain amount of class time taking standardized tests. Schools should recommend the state to come up a time limit of no student should spend more than two percent of her classroom time taking these tests (Testing Action Plan 2). Also, letting a parent know when their child is about to hit their limit would have the parents involved in what is happening with their child at school. Tests should be made so they are fair for everyone in the school. A fair measure of student learning for students with disabilities and English learners should come into accountability (Testing Action Plan 2). Teachers should be able to help students that have a learning disability or English learners on the test so they have a fair advantage like the rest of the

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    Michele Obama once stated, “If my future were determined just by my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn 't be here. I guarantee you that.” The First Lady is, in other words, to say that standardized testing was a major factor into her life’s outcome and her scores could have potentially not put her in her position of power that she is highly recognized in today’s society. Although standardized tests do play a large role in any college application, standardized testing may not count as much toward one’s college admissions or success because standardized tests are not the only factor toward college applications, these tests only benefit a specific target group of people, and standardized tests are better used for giving insight on one’s

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  • Annotated Bibliography On Standardized Testing

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    A scholarly journal written by an anonymous author sheds light on the importance of standardized testing by showing its efficiency in higher level education. This article provides a solid counterargument for the use of standardized tests which is standardized tests being a good source of predicting grades throughout college as well as whether students will stay long enough to graduate. It is also able to establish that the SAT is effective in forecasting a grade-point average through the fourth year as well as predicting students study habits. The

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    The overall purpose of schooling is to advance one’s knowledge and skill base and through standardized testing the belief is that one’s knowledge and skill base can be assessed and analyzed, but what occurs many a times is a teacher's difficulty to expand upon the learning process due to the confinements that testing has on his/hers ability to teach. In a qualitative study performed by the Morehead State University it was determined that in a particular rural school standardized testing had implemented a limit on the amount of time that teachers were able to instruct, as well as limitations on the “instructional resources and the types of assessments teachers employed” (Thomas, 2005). Even if a teacher was content with teaching the state

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  • The Shortcomings of Standardized Testing

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    Since the U.S. Congress passed the No Child Left Behind program, standardized testing has become the norm for American schools. Under this system, each child attending a school is required to take a standardized test at specific grade points to assess their level of comprehension. Parents, scholars and all stakeholders involved take part in constant discussions over its effectiveness in evaluating students’ comprehension, teachers’ competency and the effects of the test on the education system. Though these tests were put in place to create equality, experts note that they have created more inequality in the classroom. In efforts to explore this issue further, this essay reviews two articles on standardized testing. This essay reviews the sentiments of the authors and their insight into standardized examination. The articles provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate that standardized tests are not effective at measuring a teacher’s competency because they do not take into account the school environment and its effect on the students.

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  • Helping Students With a Low Socioeconomic Status

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  • Standardized Tests

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    Standardized tests are very common throughout the United States. They are used to measure students’ academic performances in school. These tests vary from state to state in all grade levels. However, these tests are believed to be biased towards those students who come from higher-class neighborhoods, simply because they have more educational resources. “The absence of standards virtually guarantees stratified resources and access to knowledge, based upon income, color of skin, and the community and neighborhood in which one lives” (French, 2003). The resources in the suburban areas differ from those in the urban areas, because of the gap within the difference of incomes. Families living in suburban neighborhoods have a bigger income, which enables them to have more resources than those living in urban neighborhoods. Most educational resources come from taxes, which plays a big part in the gap between urban and suburban neighborhoods.

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  • The Sol's Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing In Schools

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    Parents and advocates of education can all agree that they want their students to be in the best hands possible in regards to education. They want the best teachers, staffs, and schools to ensure their student’s success. By looking at the score results from standardized testing, teachers can evaluate effectively they are doing their job. On the other side, a proponent for eliminating standardized testing would argue that not all students care passionately about their education and will likely not perform to expectations on the test. However, receiving the numerical data back, teachers can construe the student’s performances and eliminate the outliers of the negligent kids. Teachers can then look at the individual scores and assign those outliers to get the help they need in school. This helps every student getting an equal chance at education. Overall, taking a practice standardized test can let a teacher look at individual questions and scores and interpret what they need to spend more time on teaching. A school also can reap the benefits from standard testing to ensure they are providing the best possible education they can. The school can look at the average scores from a group and hold the teacher accountable for the student’s results on the test. The school can then determine the best course of action to pursuit regarding the teacher’s career at the school. By offering teachers and schools the opportunity to grow and prosper, standardized testing is a benefit for the entire education

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  • Standardized Testing

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    Scholar Bill Ayers believes standardized testing in schools does not accurately measure what is necessary to be successful in life. Ayers insists that Standardized tests such as the American College Test (ACT) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) measure specific facts and function which are among the least interesting and slightest important information that children should know. In an article titled “Testing the Right Way for Talent”, written by Hugh Price, argues the fact that standardized tests fail to capture the qualities that are necessary to be successful in the business world. Another article labeled “Implementing NCLB Assessment and Accountability Requirements in an Imperfect World” composed by Stuart Kahl, is in agreement with both Price and Ayers. According to Bill Ayers, Hugh Price and Stuart Kahl, standardized tests are uncalled excuse for a traumatic and stressful time in a child’s life.

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    As child growing up some of the frightful memories include a visit to the dentist; an evil man with scary drill whose solve purpose is to hurt you or the first day in elementary school you finally leave all behind the cozy classrooms and nap times of kindergarten and enter the big leagues. All of these are considered a cakewalk compared to standardize testing. Since the start of elementary school students in the United States are taught to test. In many instances students are held back or placed in remedial classes because of lower grades. But many don’t realize that some students are not great at testing taking and because of the lower grades some educators believe that these students are lower achievers. This leads to lower self-esteem and encourage students to drop out in later years. Also students are forced to memorize information merely as facts without sparking their creativity or enhancing their knowledge.

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    Standardized testing is a necessary evil. We know is important in education, and is needed for funding, but we also know how testing does not always help our students’ education, and it came sometimes hinder their learning. For this article review I wanted to focus on testing, since it is what is currently consuming my next two weeks at school. As I grew up, I viewed testing as something we needed to do, especially when I was in college, but I was never a big fan of testing, I was never good at testing. Now as a teacher, I have to administer the MAP test, and it is hard to teach my students the importance of the test. I think about how our 3rd graders will be testing the rest of their academic careers. They will test every year in various subjects, SATs, high school exit exams, and then college exams. Even after college, some students will be testing to get job opportunities. Educators do not like testing, but we also know they are needed in education. This is where principals can play a role.

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