Standardized Testing Persuasive Essay

Most people are nervous about taking any test. Their hearts begin to race and anxiety takes over. They are pressured into obtaining a certain score, and it is all they have in their minds. Standardized tests have been around since the third grade. They continue to be nerve-racking and distracting. These test lack the ability to measure students’ true intelligence. Although standardized test have been given throughout the years, they should not be given anymore because they stress the students and teachers, measure skills performed on one day, and are not objective. Standardized test should not be given because they stress out the teachers and students. Teachers have an excessive amount of pressure put on them to have their students obtain

Standardized testing only covers certain areas of education. Most test only include the subjects Math, English, Reading, and Science (Oxford). According to Dr. Gerald W. Bracey, an education researcher, the test lacks content in areas like “creativity, critical thinking, and resourcefulness” (ProCon). It creates a “limited scope of learning and success” (Oxford). The test makers do not take into consideration everything the students have learned during their academic careers (ProCon). They do not factor in external factors that could affect students’ testing. Students could have just gone through a break up or just had a bad day. It is not fair to students who excel in school to have one test determine the rest of their academic career. Taking standardized test “standardizes the mind” (U.S. News). It halts the learning barrier from many students. We measure intelligence based solely on the test nowadays. The test does not measure the way students think. According to book author, Richard Phelps, this “two decades” way of education has contributed to the “raising of academic standards” (Phelps). Although Phelps has a point, the standards of education has only risen based on the “test standards.” As a whole, education is suffering from everyone trying to meet these test standards. It is easy to say the standards are rising if the standards are based on the