Standardized tests such as the MEAP, ACT, SAT, PLAN, AND MAP tests are quickly becoming more common in school systems, and they are even being taken at younger ages. These tests have moved from being used to evaluate current skills and concern areas of students in determining the effectiveness of teachers and school districts in general. The kinds of tests that are being used in school districts now are referred to as “high stakes tests” where the outcome of the test determines the fate of a student or a teacher. The thing to realize about high stakes testing is that students, teachers, and schools should not be defined by the score on the test, and there are more problems with the tests than there are benefits. One of the main issues with …show more content…
Many students are now being taught items that will be used on the test instead of the regular curriculum. Alfie Kohn, a teacher, has challenged parents to ask school districts “What did you have to sacrifice about my child’s education to raise those scores?” (Sadker 182). Because of the testing, many basic items have been cut because there is simply not enough time to cover them, and they will not be on the test. In a survey done by the Center on Education Policy it was found that “62 percent of school districts increased the amount of time spent…on English or math, and 44 percent cut time on science, social studies, art and music, physical education, lunch, or recess” (Sadker 182). Because of these time cuts, students are spending more time working on rudimentary math and rote memorization, and less time learning through social interaction, which actually helps students grasp concepts more effectively. Also, teachers have been more likely to teach items such as math in the ways that they will be presented on the test instead of the traditional way. Teachers are no longer teaching with the benefit of their students in mind, but with the required test in
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.
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.
I think that high-stakes testing is changing teaching in a number of negative ways. It forces teachers and administrators to align the curriculum to these standards instead of the standards being aligned to realistic, appropriate learning needs for every level. At the same time, the standards should fit what key stakeholders agree as the means and ends of education. Otherwise, high-stakes testing becomes an authoritarian means of shaping schooling according to a one-test-fits-all thinking. Instead of being inclusive and participatory, our education system becomes restrictive and static.
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.”
Although there have been legitimate arguments supporting the benefits of standardized testing, such as their ability to successfully measure students’ proficiency, in recent years there have been concerns and disadvantages regarding how their misuse poses a serious threat to the American education system. Despite the belief that standardized tests should be used to measure students’ proficiency, there are more reasons outweighing this statement regarding why they shouldn’t be used for this purpose. Not only is this a particular issue with standardized testing, but the tests are becoming more high stakes and are being used unfairly to determine things such as graduation, or placement in a school, resulting in a significant amount of stress and anxiety in students. Testing corporations are also profiting from the design of these standardized tests, while standardized testing is also forcing teachers to all teach the same thing, leading to a lack of creativity in the students. Aside from these arguments, standardized tests have been found to be becoming flawed and have poor design.
His hands are shaking, his palms are sweaty, he is afraid his heart is about to beat out of his chest. The rectangular thing is placed in front of him. A bead of sweat drips from his forehead. he wipes it away. Soon after that he faints. This is all because of a simple rectangular piece of paper that has the words standardized test written on it in big, bold, black letters. These are just some of the signs of test anxiety, all so teachers, schools, and students can be compared to one another. Standardized testing is wrong and uneducational. Some would ask why this is erroneous, when the schools get money if the students do well on these tests. This is amiss because of three simple reasons. One, standardized testing does not work. Two, standardized tests only measure a small portion of why makes education meaningful. Finally three, standardized testing causes severe stress in younger students.
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
Throughout this paper, I will be discussing how important high stakes testing is to our country. First, I will show how these tests prevent students from moving on to the next grade level or graduate without the skills necessary. Secondly, I will discuss how they improve students’ achievement. And lastly, I will describe how these tests keep teachers and schools accountable.
Garcia-Pelayo2students, one can find oneself surprised when we learn that each state spends roughly “$1.7billion a year” (Ujifusa 1) on standardized testing. Money for standardized testing if being spentbefore students even set their eyes on a college application, and definitely before they start fillingout their applications. Standardized tests are expensive, and usually required too. Unless astudent knows for sure that the school they’re applying to, and getting accepted to, does notrequire standardized tests, spending those $65 dollars is almost inevitable. What most studentsconsider “back-up schools” might not need high grades, but at the very least they need thesatisfaction of knowing that you took a test and that they have a number by
Article 1: “Leaving Tests Behind” by Haley Sweetland Edwards This article discussed the never-ending debate on the emphasis on standardized testing in the United States. It also addressed the idea that some states are eliminating several of the required standardized tests in public schools. Instead the states expected teachers to assess students’ progress through “alternative assessments” including performance-based projects. The principal from Abingdon Elementary School expressed that these “alternative assessments” allowed for teachers to see “more authentic” way to view their students’ growth (Edwards, 28).
It is said that the No Child Left Behind Act has its strengths and weaknesses and it can be improved so the next act will do an even better job of improving Americas schools. An issue that needs to be dealt with is one of the main points of controversy is high-stakes testing. There is no evidence to prove that these tests are improving or damaging students learning. Tests mandated by No Child Left Behind have not been a success because they have failed to make standards and tests that are effective and that only national standards and tests can do the job. Although changing the standards and assessments brings up a problem they will provide a great opportunity to change teacher’s education as well. Since their teaching skills are varied and there are many programs that do not fully prepare teachers. If standards were already established every single teacher across the country would know what they must teach and know the subject that students must learn and effective teaching techniques of teaching the
tests were primarily employed as measures of student achievement that could be reported to parents, and as a means of noting state and district trends (Moon 2) . Teachers paid little attention to these tests, which in turn had little impact on curriculum. However, in the continuing quest for better schools and high achieving students, testing has become a central focus of policy and practice. Standardized tests are tests that attempt to present unbiased material under the same, predetermined conditions and with consistent scoring and interpretation so that students have equal opportunities to give correct answers and receive an accurate assessment. The idea is that these similarities allow the highest degree of certainty in comparing result...
Too much time is being devoted to preparing students for standardized tests. Parents should worry about what schools are sacrificing in order to focus on raising test scores. Schools across the country are cutting back on, or even eliminating programs in the arts, recess for young children, field trips, electives for high school students, class meetings, discussions about current events, the use of literature in the elementary grades, and entire subject areas such as science (if the tests cover only language arts and math) (Kohn Standardized Testing and Its Victims 1).
High-stakes tests have increasingly become a significant focus in the educational systems of the world. They are primarily designed to give a collective measure of how well a student performs in each subject area. With an enormous number of students graduating each year, high-stakes tests give educators a mutual model for assessing these students. In this current age of educational reform there has been a drastic increase in the narrowing of curriculum so that students are exposed to only the curriculum that is aligned with standards in which students will be assessed on these high-stakes tests. High-stakes testing that measures the standards being taught are a primary way of holding teachers and students accountable for attaining a high level of achievement in their courses.
“If my future were determined just by my performance on a standardized test, I wouldn't be here. I guarantee you that.” This quote by Michelle Obama illustrates the idea that standardized testing should not have such a large influence on education in America. However, a majority of people are under the impression that standardized tests are an accurate method to measure a person's intellectual ability. I believe that standardized tests have developed into a very critical part of the American education system; that is hindering the growth of students and teachers instead of providing a tool that can accurately measure knowledge.