Standardized Testing Synthesis Essay

Currently, standardized tests do not improve the education of students in America. Standardized testing is not an accurate measure of student’s knowledge because they are designed to test an extremely broad amount of students who do not have the same educational background. This makes it incredibly difficult to test students across the world on the same level and expect their scores to reflect their education. Standardized testing, by definition, is any test containing the same questions that is administered to a vast group of people for the purpose of comparing different student’s test scores. This issue is important because it affects the entire academic community, positively and negatively. Therefore, all teachers, students, school staff, and test administrators have some involvement with standardized testing. The vast majority of people in America have taken a standardized test sometime in their life, which makes these tests vital in the

To 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 Left Behind Act of 2001 (Evans 1). Over the years the importance of standardized testing has increased tremendously and so has the stakes, not only for teachers but also students. All states in the United States of America have state test in order to measure how much students learn, and help tell how well the

Currently, there are around 37 thousands schools in the United States. Each year, there are more than a million students that applying for college institutions (National Center for Educational Statistics). As an university admission office, it is often difficult to select students based on numbers and words that show up on their application without knowing the applicant. Since there are many factors and can impact a student’s high school experience and performance, it is unfair to be comparing every student in the United States with a same standard. In order to minimize these differences, standardized tests were invented along with the No Child Left Behind act in 2001 which enforced all students to participate. Ideally, standardized tests are objective and graded by computer. The test is expected to be evaluating all students with the same standards. While the educators and designers of the standardized tests focus on generating a test that allows them to compare all students fairly, they abandon the fact that all students’ resources and backgrounds are inevitably different. Assuming that all elements of an educational system serve to benefit students’ learnings, standardized testing is an inadequate method of evaluation due to its negative impact on students and teachers’ mindsets, inaccuracy in evaluation of students’ abilities, and the

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind law in 2002, standardized testing has been at the center of attention in the educational system. Several schools and teachers have been forced to drill children on the information they will be tested on. Teachers are forced to demonstrate other important topics in order to teach test material. Similar to majority of tests provided in the school system, standardized test have both pros and cons. Generally speaking, standardized testing is a great way to determine a baseline for a child. As Miller (2016) indicated, tests have a multitude of benefits, which include student enthusiasm, peer learning, self-improvement and retention, transfer of learning, student self-assessment, and teacher instructional guidance. Teachers are able to use the data from the standardized tests to build an entire academic plan around the results. Additionally, students and parents are able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each child in order to determine the next steps needed to help bridge any gaps within their academic studies.

What once began as a simple test administered to students yearly to measure understanding of a particular subject has, as Kohn (2000) has stated, “Mutated, like a creature in one of those old horror movies, to the point that it now threatens to swallow our schools whole” (p.1). Today’s students are tested to an extent that is unparalleled in not only the history of our schools, but to the rest of the world as well. Step into any public school classroom across the United States and it will seem as if standardized testing has taken over the curriculum. Day after day teachers stress the importance of being prepared for the upcoming test. Schools spend millions of dollars purchasing the best test preparation materials, sometimes comes at the cost of other important material. Although test

Welner (2014) states that “standardized assessments are linked to curriculum standards and performance standards and tied to specified consequences” (p. 39). Welner discuses that the standard-based testing in American schools are a mess and need to be untangled because of the consequences of underperformance. Schools are defunded, teachers and principals are laid off, and schools are marked as ‘failing’. There needs to be a reform in schools that need academic improvement and the way to figure out which schools need development is by testing the students. Jones & King and McLaughlin & Overturf provide different feedback on standard-based testing. According to McLaughlin & Overturf (2012), “Using formative assessments is not only an effective way to monitor student progress, but also a viable way to glean information for planning future instructions” (p.157). In order for teachers to know if their lessons are effective or not, teachers give standard-based tests and assessments to their students. Without tests, student progress cannot be tracked in a concise manner. Jones & King (2012) agree that by building new assessments and curricula, American schools are redefining success (p.37). That success can also come at a price when dealing with more rigorous standards that are new to the

Standardized Testing have been ubiquitous in America for more than 50 years. It originates from China where they used similar test systems to gauge individual’s Confucian philosophy and poetry for government jobs. After No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was passed in America in 2001 to ensure high quality student achievements through tests (Yell 180-181), the use of these standardized tests rose. Western World

Recently, the amount of standardized testing in the United States increased drastically. “Students are taking between ten and twenty standardized tests, depending on the grade. A total average of one hundred thirteen different ones by graduation”(Locker). A few years ago the United States, along with other nations, was given a test to assess the academic strengths and weaknesses of each nation and rank them accordingly. When the results were released and the United States was ranked near the bottom, the nation decided to start incorporating more testing through school. Between benchmark, TLI, PARCC, and common core standards, teaching pedagogy changed once again. Standardized testing has had a negative effect on teachers

Although standardized testing has been a partial component of many schools’ curriculums since the 1800’s, its popularity rapidly increased after the “No Child Left Behind Act” was passed in 2002. This Act stated that from that point onward, it was necessary for children in all fifty states to complete some form of a standardized examination annually. But are these tests genuinely an efficient and reliable way of testing a student's knowledge? . Due to the the pressures of having to perform perfectly on standardized examinations, many children and teachers feel the need to game the system, making the results of these tests inaccurate. Not only are the examination results

Standardized tests have been around for hundreds of years. The test originated in the 1800’s. The test was created by Horace Mann. The test was to decide how students were mastering their current level of work and whether they should proceed to the next level. There were no negative consequences associated with the tests or scores. After the publication of the Coleman Report (Coleman et al., 1966), which took an in depth look into the education system and analyzed how the education system affected student achievement, the use of standardized achievement tests for accountability became the trend. It was all about everyone involved in the education of a body of students should be held accountable for the learning and teaching of those students. The teachers and others involved had to answer to the political bodies that were providing funding for the education system. In 2001 the No Child Left Behind Act was passed under the administration of President Bush. The act is based on improving instructional outcomes for students with disabilities. The

It used to be that one week within the school year children dreaded. The paper and pencil exam that would determine their fate of progress for the next year; now has been turned into weeks or an entire month long of missing class and staring at computer screens to take tests. Standardized testing are used in schools as a way of figuring out benchmarks for students and teachers. These types of evaluations are used to see the progression throughout the year. With the signing of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001 by President Bush; was the starting appearance for Standardized Testing. These kinds of exams analyze a student’s ability to memorize; rather than expressing the student’s intelligence. Thus, giving teachers a curriculum to teach to the test, and not actually teach students the information the students need to learn. Standardized tests should not be heavily relied on because the exams don’t prove the students intelligence, and teacher’s jobs could be extremely affected.

Over 50 million students attended public schooling in 2006 (Fast Facts, n.d.), and per Kamenetz (2014), students in the 3rd grade to 8th grade take an average of 10 standardized assessments per year. The Education Testing System defines standardized testing as a test used “to provide fair, valid and reliable assessments that produce meaningful results. Standardized testing…can eliminate bias and prevent unfair advantages by testing the same or similar information under the same testing conditions” (Purpose of Standardized Tests, n.d.). With the introduction of No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, these assessments became mandatory. The debate arose about the use, effectiveness, and adverse effects of the tests. Proponents of standardized testing

Standardized testing has been incorporated in the United States since the mid-1800s. Therefore when the “No Child Left Behind Act” was mandated, the United States began to slip behind the 18th in the word. With this failures in the education system, it has been remotely blamed on the teacher quality, tenure policies, rising poverty levels, and the increase pervasive use of standardized testing.

Standardized testing has been forced across our nation as an assessment of students’ academic achievement. The act, No Child Left Behind, was signed into law in 2002 by President George W. Bush in an attempt to even the playing field amongst our country’s youths. This law was originally created with the intention of holding states and their schools accountable for the accomplishments of the students. This goal, however, was short-lived due to the unfair, unjust and unnecessary issues the tests have instilled across the country. Standardized testing is an inaccurate assessment. Tests like the ACT and SAT do not effectively judge the student's ability to learn or understand. Instead, they create anxiety and stress for students as well as immense pressure. This is because many colleges take theses standardized tests into great consideration. They have proven to be inaccurate and unfair to our nation’s students.

First, if a teacher feels that his or her career is dependent on students’ scores on a set of standardized tests, then the teacher will therefore change their educational practices to reflect material covered in the test. The test is intended to sample a body of knowledge that has been taught to the students (Popham, 2001), but when a teacher teaches materials that are reflective of specific items on the test only, then the test as a sample of student work is invalid. Those who are in favor of such testing might say that teaching to the test is not necessarily a bad thing as students are learning according to the standards. This practice of high stakes testing is not adequate for meeting student needs because there is little emphasis on