Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

Education has become one of the most valuable things a person can obtain over the course of the 21st century. Education and its quality determine so much about a person and can really shape their life. Recently, there has been a growing debate over education and how the quality of it is being measured. In public schools, students in kindergarten through grade 12 are required to participate in state testing to determine the if quality of education being delivered by the school they are attending is adequate. These tests determine funding for the school and which teachers keep their jobs. This means the outcome of these tests are a humongous deal. Some people really like how this system is working right now; however, others are not as satisfied

One thing that standardized testing does do well is measuring the weak spots in a students learning. This can show teachers where to strengthen and stress particular learning points. If schooling systems are going to stick to the current standardized testing method, this shows us where we need to increase a student’s score. Another thing that standardized tests do effectively is measuring a student’s education as a whole. Some also argue that the multiple choice format can increase scores. Since the student is given four or five options to pick from and not a wide array of options, they have a better chance at boosting their score. The problem with that is that there’s still no creative learning that tests beyond what the material on the test is. People tend to use more creativity in problem solving than just academics in life. The test may not measure the quality of the education being received, but it does measure the overall education being received instead of picking one subject to

Bush. These tests and the score received determine so much about the student and his or her future. This puts a heavy amount of pressure on the person taking the test and the anxiety caused by these tests can end up hurting the student’s score. In Evans’ online article, she tells us that in 2002, standardized tests came with instructions for teachers in case a student threw up on the test. This shows how much anxiety the test can create for a student. More anxiety is created by the fact that these tests are so meaningful to a student.When something so meaningful is tied to the student, more anxiety is generated. The anxiety caused by the test can also cause students to forget what he or she has learned and/or how to apply what he or she has learned. This stress is not only applied to the students, but to the teachers. Often, teachers greatly worry about their students and their students scores. The scores that their students make effect whether or not the teacher keeps their job. Teachers feel stressed before hand also. Teachers worry about what to teach and how to teach it to prepare students efficiently for the state tests. These tests increase already high stress levels to and unhealthy levels that could be detrimental to a student’s and or teacher’s