Essay about Against Standardized Testing - 2262 Words

There seems to be a dilemma in the educational system. In order to receive funding, a school system has to test its students annually. These tests are supposed to measure the progress of the students and the school system. But what is really measured with these scores? What do they really mean? Should children be tested as frequently as they are? And most importantly, should the ability to pass on to another grade or to graduate from high school be based on only one test? With so many questions arising from these tests, the answer is to take a stand against them. Perhaps a brief history will provide a better understanding of the standardized testing system. In the 1980’s, the National Governors Association pushed for states to†¦show more content†¦Third graders are already feeling the strain of these tests, and they have barely begun their education and the tests that are sure to come with it. The road to high school, graduation, college, and a job is now paved with tests. If third graders are burnt out, how are they going to do well on the tests that are to come? If we have already tested kids so much by the third grade that they are crying, this should say something. Sure, that school will get its funding, but at what price to its students? Unfortunately, largely due to the enormous success of such tests in Texas, the push has not let up. The state has been made an example. The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills has apparently shown an increase in students’ scores. However, the same CNN documentary reported that in Austin High School, of the 9th grade class made up of 1,160 students, less than 300 of them were in 10th grade the following year (Quindlen 1). It has been reported that kids are purposely held back so that their performance won’t bring down the tests that are to be administered the next year. Two things strike me here. First of all, it is intolerable that children are held back solely because their school does not want to perform lower on the standardized test. In that instance, standardized testing has jeopardized a student’s future and that student hasn’t even had to takeShow MoreRelatedEssay about Arguing Against Standardized Testing2407 Words   |  10 PagesTo many students standardized testing has become another part of schooling that is dreaded. Standardized testing has been a part of school since the nineteen-thirties; in those days it was used as a way to measure students that had special needs. Since the time that standardized test have been in American schools there has been many programs that have placed an importance on the idea of standardized testing such as the No Child Le ft Behind Act of 2001 (Evans 1). Over the years the importance of standardizedRead MoreThe Case Against Standardized Testing : Raising The Scores, Ruining The Schools823 Words   |  4 PagesAlfie Kohn’s book, The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools, presents a dispute against the standardized testing that is used to assessment the academic performance of schools. The text is highly political slant in contradiction with the standardized testing. Kohn’s argument stated that test should not be used in high-stake ways that is be given to school today or in the past. The text is written in question and answer format where the author is able to defendRead MoreStandardized Testing Is The Best Answer For Students985 Words   |  4 Pages Standardized testing in the United States education system went from a onetime only test called Compass test and has become a once a year maybe more test called the MEAP. 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It has become a test that allows extreme pressure to be placed on the teachers, the district and the students that have to take these tests.Many people argue about the importance of the test, that it doesnt show the progress of the student throughout the school year, and that is only one of the many reasons people think thatRead MoreEssay on Standardized Testing a Failure in Education1335 Words   |  6 PagesStandardized testing scores proficiencies in most generally accepted curricular areas. The margin of error is too great to call this method effective. â€Å"High test scores are generally related to things other than the actual quality of education students are receiving† (Kohn 7). â€Å"Only recently have test scores been published in the news-paper and used as the primary criteria for judging children, teachers, and schools.†(2) Standardized testing is a great travesty impose d upon the American Public School