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The Standardized Testing System, instituted in the public school system, has been used as a guideline in assessing a student’s comprehension of the subjects taught in the classroom and for measuring a teacher’s aptitude of relating the subject material to the students (Fletcher). Florida has instituted a new Bill SB-736 that will now no longer grant teacher’s tenure, and will use the scores from the FCAT to decide whether a teacher will keep their job. While originally created to help the school system, standardized testing has been shown to have many problems, and even to cause harm to students, teachers, and schools. The standardized testing system must be severely revamped, as well as the way the scores affect the schools the students attend.
The first party that the FCAT is hurting is the students in the public school system. Florida has a large Spanish community; almost 20 percent of the population of Tampa is Hispanic/ Latino, many of this population only speaks Spanish (Tampa Population). The United States having such a diverse population of cultures, must deal with a large percentage of students who do not speak English, or a very broken dialect of it if they do. Students are required to take the FCAT after their second year in the United States Education System. Now while the grades of ESOL students are not factored into the school’s “total score”, they are still used to show the student’s progress. The question is if the state recognizes that the test scores will negatively affect the school, should it not be considered that the score will hurt a student’s progress?
Students with disabilities have problems with taking the FCAT as well, not having the audible, visual, or mobile capabilities that other students have, ...
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...pproves teacher tenure law." Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau 16/Mar/2011, Print.
Nelson, Judith. "Ensuring Quality Service-Learning Experiences for At-Risk Adolescents." Prevention Researcher. 18.1 (2011): 14-17. Print.
Phelps, Richard. Defending Standardized Testing. Los Angeles: Psychology Press, 2005. Print.
Sireci, Stephen, Stanley. Scarpati, and Shuhong Li. "Division in the Ranks: Standardized Testing Draws Lines between New and Veteran Teachers." Review of Educational Research. 75.4 (2005): 457-490. Print.
Smith, Jennie. "2+2=5...SB 736 doesn't add up.." Miami Examiner 18/Feb/ 2011, Print.
"Tampa Population and Demographics (Tampa, FL)." Tampa Yellow Pages and Tampa FL Guide. 27 Apr. 201.1 Web.
Winkler, Amber. "Division in the Ranks: Standardized Testing Draws Lines between New and Veteran Teachers." Phi Delta Kappan. 84.3 (2002): 219-225. Print.
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
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.
The United States of America has placed low on the educational ladder throughout the years. The cause of such a low ranking is due to such heavy emphasis on standardized testing and not individual student achievement. Although the United States uses standardized testing as a crutch, it is not an effective measure of a student’s ability, a teacher’s competency, or a school’s proficiency.
The current education system implemented by most schools measures a student’s progress using two methods: letter grades and standardized tests. However, the pressure put on students to achieve high grades causes standardized tests to be overlooked throughout the school year. Because of this, students enter tests with false hopes of scoring well when in reality they are severely underprepared. Honor roll students with perfect GPA’s can score in the average percentile if they are not adequately exposed to the test material. Schools should put a larger emphasis on preparation for standardized tests so students will be better equipped to take these tests and receive a score that more accurately reflects their knowledge.
Imagine walking into school on day one of the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program, or better known as TCAP. You are rushed to your proctor’s room. This is just day one of the six long grueling test days. The school board is counting on you to score high enough to reflect positively on your school district. Each session will last up to sixty minutes with just enough time for most students to finish. There are usually three sessions per day. For most students, this process is one which is dreaded with each coming year. TCAP results are scored by advanced, proficient, partially proficient, or unsatisfactory (Time4Learning). The TCAP tests students from 3rd through 10th grade. This test happens the same time each year. There are four different tests that constitute the TCAP: reading, writing, math, and for the 5th, 8th, and 10th grades science.
Standardized testing is not a new concept; it has been in use since the mid to late 1990’s. However the “high stakes” focus on standardized testing is. The practices that accompany standardized testing have long been in debate. Those in favor of standardized testing will argue that the testing creates a system that increases grades and accountability among teachers, students and school districts across the country. On the other hand those that oppose standardized testing will argue the ill effects that standardized testing can have on students, teachers, and schools. There are numerous ways in which standardized testing has gravely impacted education, some of which are high stress levels of students and teachers, the hindrance on educational instruction, high monetary costs of testing as well as inadvertent discrimination and bias. Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota stated “Far from improving education, high-stakes testing marks a major retreat from fairness, from accuracy, from quality and from equity.”
Worthen, Blaine R., and Vicki Spandel. "Putting the Standardized Testing Debate in Perspective." Educational Leadership Feb. 1991: 65-69. ASCD. 1 Dec. 2013
Standardized testing is a type of test usually serve to determine how well you understand a concept which is often used for placement. These types of test include questions in a form of an essay, short answers, multiple choices, or a combination of these together and are given out as early as in kindergarten. This practice has been used for so long that it has become a part of the American culture. Every year, high school juniors and seniors worldwide take the SAT or the ACT in the hope that they score high enough to get into their dream school. However, there has been a lot of ongoing debates revolving around the idea of the use of standardized testing in college admission and the whether or not they are effective in determining a student’s
Primarily, standardized testing has been the ongoing problem for many of Florida’s schools. Each year the state must create and issue new tests, and 2014 is no different. The major reconstruction will come from the riddance of FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test), but, according to state education officials, “they are on schedule to replace… [it] within 18 months” (2014, McGrory). The plans for the updated tests include switching to new standards and benchmarks that will better measure progress for Florida students. The National Governors Association first created these standards, which would later be adopted by 45 states. The standards highlight aspects that the previous standards neglected. In addition to new standards, Florida must adopt a new company to issue these standardized tests. The original choice was the Partnership for Assessment of College and Career Readiness, but proposal calls eliminated the PARCC from the running. Now, five companies are fighting for the top spot. The chosen company will be announced in late March, which concerns many. Many argue that the state needs to take time to create a new test that is well thought-out and can be issued for many years to come. The Florida As...
Standardized testing has come under mass criticism in recent years; the article “Texas education: top 5 issues at the Legislature” examines this further. Although some headway is being
. There are many opposing points but the cons out-weigh the pros of testing. Standardized testing should be eliminated because it is stresses out students and teachers alike, the testing methods are inadequate, and in addition, not all external factors are take into consideration.
Popham, W. J. (1999, March). Why Standardized Tests Don't Measure Educational Quality. Educational Leadership, 56(6), 8-15.
Standardized testing is not an effective way to test the skills and abilities of today’s students. Standardized tests do not reveal what a student actually understands and learns, but instead only prove how well a student can do on a generic test. Schools have an obligation to prepare students for life, and with the power standardized tests have today, students are being cheated out of a proper, valuable education and forced to prepare and improve their test skills. Too much time, energy, and pressure to succeed are being devoted to standardized tests. Standardized testing, as it is being used presently, is a flawed way of testing the skills of today’s students.
The author addresses paper and pencil tests with no special accommodations, and analyses trends throughout past decades. He also writes of the new era of standardized testing and accountability. Stiggins suggests that while standardized testing may be useful and effective in some aspects, most are not used correctly and that the high-stakes put intense pressure on teachers, making it difficult to actually complete their job which is to teach students new skills. They simply spend their time reviewing already learned skills to ensure good scores on exams.
The purpose of standardized testing is to measure students progress in a variety of academic subject areas. Standardized tests vary depending on the state. A few of the test administered in florida are the FCAT, ACT, and SAT. So much emphasis is placed on passing these tests that students spend more time worrying about it the consequences they will face if they fail, than actually preparing for the exam. Is this test a true reflection of a students knowledge? A student’s academic level and future should not be determined by a 105 question test on reading and mathematics. As an alternative to taking these tests, students should have a comprehensive end of the year exam in each subject area covered throughout that year. Standardized test result in teachers who teach to the test, therefore not accurately measuring student’s knowledge, but instead measuring a student’s test taking ability. Meanwhile, students in other countries taking alternative assessments other than Standardized test excel above academic levels of the United States.