The Flaws of Standardized Testing

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It is the one time of year when it seems all teachers, administrators, and even students are stressed. Parents are enforcing their kids to get to bed at a decent time, eat a healthy breakfast, and to not forget their number two pencils. It is TCAP testing time. Standardized testing has been a norm for over seventy-five years in almost every first- world country. From state regulated tests, to the “college-worthy” ACT and SAT, standardized tests have become a dreaded rite of passage for every student.
The earliest record of standardized testing originates from China. It was created to test knowledge of Confucian poetry and philosophy for men applying for government jobs. In 1905 a man by the name of Alfred Binet created his own, “standardized test of intelligence.” Binet’s standardized test was later used to develop the modern day I.Q. test. At the beginning of World War one is when standardized testing is first became a standard practice in the United States. The “Army Mental Test” was designed to use aptitude quizzes to assign United States servicemen jobs during the war. It consisted of an intelligence test as well as a personality test for soldiers to test where their abilities would be most beneficial. This form of standardized testing was created for the sole purpose to better serve our country. Depending upon the results, the test told you your strengths and weaknesses and placed you to a task accordingly.
Today, it is more widely accepted for standardized testing to be used as a form of measurement for educational purposes. When it was first used in schools it was supposed to serve as a tool to help establish student’s strength and weaknesses. Standardized testing was created as a public policy strategy to create stronger ...

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...tests and focus on the tools and resources they will need to further their education.
Overall standardized testing should not be allowed in schools. With no direct academic results it is pointless. The No Child Left Behind Act is a great idea but should involve different methods to test students and adapt the idea of non-standardized testing. This alternative would solve many problems that face this topic today.

Works Cited

http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1947019,00.html

http://www.bing.com/news/search?q=Georgia+Cheating+Standardized+Tests&qpvt=georgia+cheating+standardized+tests&FORM=NWRFSH&adlt=strict

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/11/opinion/l-anxiety-about-the-sat-329428.html

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/02/justice/georgia-cheating-scandal/

http://classroom.synonym.com/differences-between-standardized-nonstandardized-assessments-4442.html

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