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“Education is not the filling of a vessel, but the kindling of a flame.” –Socrates (Secret). Unfortunately, many school systems, today, are not following Socrates’ advice. Many teachers have forgotten what learning is all about, and as students mindlessly memorize facts and figures, the only flame being kindled is their burning hatred towards school. Students stress about grades and believe that their self-worth is defined by their GPA. As they struggle under never-ending piles of homework and standardized tests, there is little time for students to worry about sports, family, health, rest, or even learning. The unnecessary pressure that today’s high school students suffer from has a huge effect on social lives, mental stability, and physical well-being. The stress is unhealthy and unnecessary and it comes from things like homework or standardized tests. These problems can be easily solved with small changes in the education system. The stress caused by school has many unhealthy and dangerous side effects. According to Denise Pope, a professor from Stanford University, high amounts of homework can lead to mental and physical health problems in students (Binns). C.M. Rubin has also said that stress, anxiety, and depression levels have been increasing in adolescents recently. In a Challenge Success Survey, 67 percent of high school students said that they were often or always stressed about school. This stress has horrible side effects, such as depression and suicide (Rubin). In some extreme cases, it can even lead to bomb threats, as in the case of Eldo Kim (Lavoie). An article by Denise Lavoie, describes how the Harvard student was so stressed about his schoolwork that he used a bomb threat to avoid a final exam. Although event... ... middle of paper ... ...3 Feb. 2014. Moon, T. R., Brighton, C. M., Jarvis, J. M., & Hall, C. J. (2007). State standardized testing programs: Their effects on teachers and students (RM07228). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut. Rubin, C.M. “The Global Search For Education: On Success.” Education News. 15 Nov. 2011. Web. 9 Feb. 2014. The Secret Teacher. “We’re all under pressure but don’t take it out on the pupils.” Teacher Network. The Guardian. 27 Oct. 2012. Web. 3 Feb. 2014. “Student-Achievement Testing.” Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts on File Services, 13 Oct. 2000. Web. 4 Feb. 2014. Wilde, Marian. “Do our kids have too much homework?” Homework Help. Great Schools. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. Wolchover, Natalie. “Too Much Homework Is Bad for Kids.” Live Science 30 Mar. 2013. Web. 9 Feb. 2014.
Author Deborah Landry in her article “Teachers' (k-5) perceptions of student behaviors during standardized testing” written for the Curriculum and Teaching Dialogue in 2006 examines the effects of standardized testing on student behavior as perceived by their teachers. Landry works with sixty-three teachers in grades kindergarten through grade five from two northeastern school districts in Oklahoma and found teachers to have had perceived many changes in student behavior during standardized testing. These changes had a wide range of what was described by Landry as distressing results including which included such things as fear and a sense of helplessness by the students observed. Landry also found that not only had standardized testing affected students negatively by raising such things as anxiety levels but also discovered that it is also impacting the teachers themselves who are responsible for
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.
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.
Smolin, Andrea, and Jennifer Clayton. "Standardized Testing: How Prepared Are We?." Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership. 12(4). (2009): 29-36. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
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
Strauss, Valerie. "Where U.S. Stands in Education Internationall." Washington Post. N.p., 25 June 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Popham, W. James. “Standardized Achievement Tests: Misnamed and Misleading.” Education Week. September 2001. Web. 28 June 2015.
Solley, B. A. (2012). On Standardized Testing: An ACEI Position Paper. Childhood Education, 84(1), 31-37. Retrieved December 3, 2012, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2007.10522967
Standardized testing in the United States is not always a common practice. In the Mid-1800s, Horace Mann, an education reformist, developed a test to administer to a group of students. Its purpose was to determine how students were performing at their current level and whether they were capable of proceeding to a higher level of education, although the student’s success on the test had no negative repercussions. These tests were a necessity at that time because the idea of public education was still being molded and these tests were the only means by which student progress could be measured. Within 35 years of the first recorded examination in 1845, testing became the factor which determined whether students were able to be promoted to the next grade.
Stiggins, R. (1991). Facing challenges of a new era of educational assessment. Applied Measurement in Education 4(4), 263+. Retrieved September 25, 2003 from Academic Search/EBSCO database.
Today, many students report more anxiety due to stress than child psychiatric patients did in the 1950’s. In a 2006 survey of 1,300 students at a public high school in Needham, Massachusetts found that 58% of the students surveyed reported between a great deal of stress and extreme stress due to homework (Bennett and Kalish). Many students in today’s time, have so many things to do that it is difficult for them to come home, only to have to finish five to six hours of homework. This, with the added effects of after school activities and technology, only adds to the stress that is put on students.
These activities, not homework will ensure that our children are happy and competitive in a highly competitive world.” (Bennett and Kalish). Homework may cause more harm to students and children at such an early age rather than having a positive effect. Others claim that homework regulation is a serious matter that should have parents more aware of this issue. If teachers would either regulate the amount of homework they assign, then students would actually be able to enjoy their school years before entering the working
Cooper, Robinson and Patall 2006; Corno and Xu 2004; Johnson and Pontius 1989; Warton 2001. (February 5, 2007) “What research says about the value of homework: At a glance “Center for public. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Instruction/What-research-says-about-the-value-of-homework-At-a-glance
Academic stress is very common in student’s lives. Many students assume that making the academic experience their first priority now, will increase the chance of success in the future. School is an important aspect in most teenagers lives and by being so important a teenager can become depressed very effortlessly at school or because of school. Academic stress can take complete control over a student’s life, sometimes leading to depression. At school this may lead to poor attendance, a significant drop in grades or even annoyance with schoolwork, in a good student. There are many studies that have been performed to prove the correlation between responsibility in school and academic performance being the cause to academic stress. Just like there are numerous causes to academic there are also numerous cures, such as changing mind set and behavior. Academic stress is something majority of students in school can relate to and the cause of it can be something small as a bad grade on an evaluation, It will enforce the student to try harder in the future but it will for sure cause some sort of stress, even if it is for a moment. Stress from school can be one of the most essential causes of teen depression.
We all know the downfall of homework: the frustration and exhaustion, family conflict, time loss, and decreasing interest in learning. No study has ever demonstrated any academic achievement linked to assigning homework. There is also no support to the fact that homework provides nonacademic benefits at any age. Here are a few examples: building character, promoting self-discipline, or teaching good work habits. All teachers who assign homework want to believe that the gain outweighs the pain. Although, there is no evidence of that and they must rely on faith (“Homework: No Proven Benefits”, pg. 1). Michellea, a mother of a middle school student, says that some work can reinforce certain skills, but hours of homework are unhealthy and unproductive. Mominseattle agrees. She contemplates that such a heavy load can result in potential drawbacks to the students. Hours of homework a night plus a full day of school can be just as much work as an adult at a full-time job. She believes students should enjoy their childhood, as short as it already is. MagnetMom complains about how her daughter’s homework takes away her beneficial sleep. With busy families, like hers, they have many after school activities, so when they get home, they do not have time for too much homework. She says ...