Problems Associated With Standardized Testing

A problem within the educational system would be standardized testing. Standardized testing has been part of the US educational system since the mid 1800’s. Educating children should and is a top priority in America. That being said standardized test should not measure educational quality because of the many complications that come with it. Many people are intelligent test are not reliable or valid. I agree that standardized test helps to see where the students may be in certain areas which can then let the teachers and parents to know where to help improve the student at. There are more external factors interfering with testing instead of internal. The educators who are the creators of these standardized tests are very gifted. Instead of standardized test measuring educational quality we should let writing composition and interviews demonstrate that.
There are even kindergarteners and first graders who are being standardized tested. Their attention span is too short to retain all the information that is on the test. Standardized testing doesn’t measure what you have learn at that point in time, but what you have retained from your past. There are many students who are not good test takers. For example, many have had test anxiety that interrupts with their ability to perform well on tests. The author states “Interviews with youth indicate that the unintended impact of high-stakes testing is more problematic than the policy makers educators may realize” (Kearns, 2014, pg.1). The problems that encounter with taking
standardized test brings in internal issues within the student as well some are just not mentally prepared to successfully advanced at these standardized tests.
Standardized testing makes educators to only teach what will be on the test instead of teaching them the curriculum of the class what will initially benefit them in life not just what will be on a test. This disables the students from expressing their creativity and imagination because all they are learning is test taking skills. A study in 2007 says “44% of school districts had decreased the time spent on science, social studies and the arts by an average of 145 minutes per week in order to focus on reading and math” (Muranto, 2015, pg. 8). With the test becoming more serious teachers are not being creative with their teaching techniques. Many of these tests are designed for schools to see where they are, but not solely about the students. “They have diverse experiences with school and have different and shared class, linguistic, social, political, gendered, and racial identities” (Kearns, 2014, pg.4). These standardized test are compared against students all over the world some that more developed than others in different countries. The more the students succeed at the standardized test the better for the school because they get federal funds. When students start failing the standardized test the schools value goes down, extra curriculums get cut and it’s a possibility that the school may go on academic probation. Which can lead to the school being closed down because of the poor scores reported. This brings more problems that effect student’s social, emotional well-being by the extra curriculums being discontinued.
The author states “There is a considerable amount of literature on how social inequalities along racial, social class, and gendered lines are reproduced and sustained through school practices” (Kearns, 2014, pg.5). These challenges can hinder a student’s ability to succeed at the standardized testing because of their background and culture. Different ethnicities are taught differently and raised differently which would cause the test to be inaccurate. Economic factors can result in negative impact on achievements (Brownell et al, 2006; Kohn, 2000). The multiple choice format used on standardized test is an invalid assessment tool. The test encourages a superficial way of believing that there are only right and wrong answers, which does not compare to real world problems. For example, in China they teach their students to excel in standardized test but forget to teach them how to be social interactive with the real world.
Standardized testing doesn’t evaluate the students overall growth over the year it only evaluates the individual performance. The test measures the competence at the time of the test. A student should be evaluated on the development over their entire life, and not just one single test. Standardized testing put ultimate stress on students and their parents because of the mandatory requirements. Students are required to pass numerous standardized test in high school in order to graduate. This can place a negative effect on students which pulls them into not enjoying school because all they are doing is preparing for a test instead of learning things that interest them and that are beyond standardized tests. Dropout rates will start to increase more because students believe that they cannot pass the standardized test that is given.
In May of 2011, National Research Council report found no incentives that the testing programs were working “Despite using them for several decades, policymakers and educators do not yet know how to use test-based to consistently generate positive effects on achievement and to improve” standardized testing is not bettering the education for students. Testing is expensive and the cost is just going to keep increasing restricting state educational budgets. Education agency in Texas spent “9 million” in 2003 on tests increasing Texas taxpayers to pay around “88 million dollars per year” (Ohemeng, 2012, pg. 466). Instead of spending money on testing the government can use that money to fund more extra curriculum activities, more books, and better resources.
A secondary problem may encounter that you would have to teach the students how to write and interview well. Now writing is more complexed it may take more time to craft then an actual test. Writing and interviews are very essential to learn in life. Instead of spending time on studying the curriculum for the standardized test we should teach students how to essentially write which will help them in the future when their getting jobs etc.
A solution to standardized testing can be to write an essay or interviews. These solutions will then show you who the person really is and how they feel about certain things. Which then brings back the creativity in that person that you don’t see in a standardized test. Creativity is a very important part in life. It involves the generation of new things or ideas that have previously existed. All a standardized test is, a sort of questions that are about a particular subject. Writing composition expresses more personal situations that you have been through. For example, writing topics about life goals, plans for college, why is school significant, who has been the most influential in your life. Those personal topics give a creative insight on who that person truly is. Also, being able to write is a very essential thing to know how to do as you grow into an adult. Being able to write a scholarly essay shows your intellectual flexibility. Writing is an essential job and social skill. Interviews are a vital key to have too because the person can show you that they have social skills, and interpersonal skills which is very important to have. Interviews involve communication and thinking skills on sight to be able to interact with others of higher authority. They show that you can be professional and mature. Many prestigious universities have interviews and essay they hold to really get to know that person truthfully even if they standardized test did not meet the universities requirement they still give you another chance for admissions. Many intelligent adolescences are just not good test takers. Interviews are essential to jobs because it shows your personality and what you can bring to the table if you were to get the job.
In conclusion, Standardized testing doesn’t have to be a necessity in order to determine education quality.
There are many other options that are reliable and proficient, interviews and writing composition. Interviews and essays shows relatively knowledge you have gained throughout life, and where you are mentally at that time in your life. Interviews and writing helps to really get to know and understand a person and what are their aspirations in
life.