Standardized Testing Research Paper

Teachers also argue about their involvement in testing, which is close to nonexistent. “[O]nly 10 percent of the scorers hired in California were teachers, according to the state department of education (Gewertz).” These tests are created by companies such as Pearson, which operates many standardized tests in New York. Educators often make up a very small part of the people writing these tests. However, while some educators are involved in the grading of the tests, more often than not graders will be found via Facebook and monster.com. Because teachers are often left in the dark on what is on the test, they don’t know what to expect.

To be prepared for any question, educators begin teaching to the test. “Fifty-two percent of teachers surveyed said they spend too much time on testing and test prep (Walker).” This can have many negative effects in the classroom. For one, creative writing is used less and less in modern English classes. Most students are lucky to participate in lab experiments, instead of spending precious time studying formulas. This can, not only create a sense of dread in a classroom, but handicap a child’s interest in learning as well.

For instance, a short test can not easily calculate a student’s other qualities like responsibility, integrity, and dedication. Most businesses, for some reason, are usually more privy towards people who can associate and work as a team than someone who can find the origin of a parabola. However, because teachers aren’t very involved in these tests, they aren’t given a large enough platform to take a stand on this