Flaws In Current Standardized Testing

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The use of standardized tests is not something new. Everyone should know about their importance and the emphasis put on them, along with the stress that follows. There are multiple choice tests, high-stakes tests, and the dreaded time-limited tests. It is true to say not all tests are created equal; however, every one of these tests has serious flaws. Standardized tests are unfair because they fail to measure students' abilities, they cause an unnecessary amount of stress, and there are too many incentives to teach the test.

Like Bert Lance one said, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” This is the way many people feel about standardized testing. To them the tests appear to be a reliable and harmless way to measure students’ skills. A June-July 2014 Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that 93% of parents say standardized tests "should be used to identify areas where students need extra help" and 61% say their children "take an appropriate number of standardized tests” (Ruby). The issue with those statistics is parents do not know the direct effects of standardized tests, so how could they possibly know the tests’ faults and damage it causes?

According to Educator Bill Ayers, “Standardized tests ignore the most important characteristics of being a good learner or a good person. "What they can measure and counts,” he says, “are isolated skills, specific facts and functions, the least interesting and least significant aspects of learning" (Pollard). All test takers answer the same questions under the same conditions which results in quick and superficial answers, because all students reason and process differently. Standardized tests treat students as if they are all identical. Every student...

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... teachers to adjust their curriculum destructively to fit the test just to ensure positive test scores to keep their job. All of these factors contribute to why standardized tests are unfair. Fairness means everyone gets what they need and standardized testing has yet to uphold this standard.

Works Cited

Evans, Jasmine. "Problems with Standardized Testing." Problems with Standardized Testing. Education.com, 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 03 Dec. 2014.

McGowan, Sarah. "The Stress Test - How Today's Standardized Tests Impact Health, Performance, and School Culture." TEEN TRUTH. Teen Truth, 24 Apr. 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2014.

Pollard, Jonathan. "Standardized Testing: The Worst Tests." Standardized Testing: The Worst Tests. World Prosperity, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2014.

Ruby, Megan. "Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing." Prezi.com. Prezi, 7 Dec. 2014. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.

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