Most students don’t really want to take state tests, but they have no choice. These tests, such as AIR, determine if students graduate. While what will determine if a kid graduates is the big question mostly asked, the tests determine if kids graduate because there is not enough time in the school year to teach all of the curriculum, it is not helping the kids with learning disabilities, and the tests do not line up with the standards. I believe that’s not fair for all of the kids who actually do really bad on test but may be an all around good kid. Freshmen year I did not try and i’m guessing others didn’t try either. Plus, standardized tests don’t help the kids with a slower learning disability or a kid who doesn’t understand how …show more content…
to read. The state exams should line up with the curriculum, that way we’re prepared for the tests. The average high schooler has the same amount of anxiety as the average psychiatric painting in the early 1950s. Over 75% of parents approve of standardized tests to inform them on where their students learning skills are (“Is the use of standardized test improving education in america”).
Since spring is arriving students are getting anxious for summer break and are not thinking about state tests.
On top of it being the end of year, students have to worry about grades, learning information for state tests, and extra curricular activities. They deal with a lot of stress that leaves to anxiety. In most occasions kids are diagnosed with ADHD or some other type of learning disorder, when some may just be lazy or don’t want to do the work. “Pittsburgh students now take 20-25, or more, high-stakes tests a year, with new tests this year in art and music” (Strauss).
One might argue that physicians, lawyers, real-estate brokers and pilots all take high stakes standardized tests to ensure they have the necessary knowledge for their job. Kids obsess with passing their test so much that they can’t focus on being a kid. When students get these test back and compare scores with others some might feel worthless and, it separates the smart kids from the ones who scores lower. “Schools selects NWEA as its testing vendor and reports an 80 percent proficiency rate. Now let’s say Worthington City Schools suburban Columbus selects PARCC and reports a 50 percent proficiency rate”
(Fordham).
A couple solutions to the problems students face would be to create more time for the teachers to teach or just abolished the test period. Schools are closing due to only being graded on test scores. If you have an urban school with a lot of kids in one class they are more likely to fail.“63 percent of grade 8 students from the Orleans (urban) school district failed the math test, while only 10 percent from the St. Tammany (suburban) school district failed.” ( Should Standardized Tests Determine Who Is Held Back?).
Some may ask why I even care about the state tests, and there was a time when i could care less. When the counselors called me into their office to tell me that i failed my tests i was disappointed. I needed to have at least 6 points in total my freshmen year and I didn't even have 3. At the moment i knew i have to do something to step my game up. Turns out the school payed for the kids that failed to go through remediation which helped a lot. The main problem was that the teachers didn't have enough time to teach all the standards that the state assigned. So what the school needs to do is move through the standards faster but not so fast that we have to stay at school longer but so that the class periods are longer.