Standardized Testing

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Standardized Testing

The truth is, white students continuously outperform black or Hispanic students in terms of proficiency test scores in every subject. For years, people have been trying to change this. Some blame the tests as being unfair and discriminatory, and seek to have them abolished. Perhaps the fault doesn’t lie in the tests and the discrepancy in scores lies elsewhere in the public education system. What the opponents of standardized testing need to understand is that this type of assessment is essential in having a public school system.

The government implements standards for the student of the public school system to achieve by a certain grade level. Standardized tests are the most fair and effective way of measuring student achievement level. These tests are administered to everyone, regardless of sex, race or ethnicity. Just because white students typically perform better than minority students doesn’t mean that the testing is biased. Standardized testing is too important and too deeply entrenched in the public education system to deem unfair and have abolished.

The tests that are being administered to students are used to determine the child’s proficiency in subjects such as mathematics and language arts - the building blocks of learning. This is to insure that all students are performing at or above their expected level. If a child is falling behind the rest of their class in these core subjects, these tests are a sure indicator of this. The student can then be looked after to insure that they progress along with the rest of their class. If not, then they can be held behind to insure that they gain adequate skills to perform at their required level of knowledge before proceeding to the next.

It is important to “Leave no child behind” because inadequate preparation can be devastating for future education. If a student is not retaining this required knowledge, then the teachers must be aware, to insure the student a proper education. Students who cannot read or write should not be graduating from high school. Herman Badillo, chairman at the City University of New York, states firmly “the university should not have to be in the business of teaching basic reading, writing and English” (Blaming).

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