Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing System

The Truly Innovating Testing System Standardized testing is a system used widely throughout the world. This form of testing focuses primarily on basic but core skills which creates a simple, foundational test-taking format. However, this can prove to be ineffective in improving education in America since it is so simple. Standardized testing is shown to be ineffective in improving education in America as it decreases the value of learning, makes school have to cheat the system frequently, and influences teachers to teach the test. Most may argue that this testing format supplies a straightforward analysis on student’s knowledge which is indeed true but not necessarily true. This format does offer a very basic and core testing structure but
it is limited from creativity or critical thinking of a student. The format provides questions and a set of four or five possible answer choices. The answers are only what a student can work with and only analyzes their capability on a limited stance, refraining from the student’s choice to think outside of the box or input their own extended knowledge into the questions. While it may be the most simplistic and straightforward of tests, it doesn’t allow students to advance and dig deeper into the test. Standardized testing can decrease the value of learning.
For example, according to Gerald W. Bracey, Phd, who researches education, standardized tests do not measure a student’s creativity, critical thinking, and generally their complete capabilities. This in turn means that standardized testing miss out on a student’s maximum capacity since it focuses primarily on certain aspects of a student. In addition, because education is becoming increasingly competitive and every student is fighting to stay on the top, students most likely will throw away any other skills that the tests do not focus on which therefore deletes what it means to “learn”. In addition, standardized testing can make cheating more frequent. For instance, in an increasingly competitive education system, most schools start manipulating the tests so that scores would be higher and passing the tests are easier. This proves to be negative in American education as schools become accustomed and driven to cheat the whole system for a higher statistic. Schools turn into drones and reputation obsessed so much that the whole objective of learning and having a valuable education are simultaneously
destroyed. Lastly, standardized testing doesn’t improve education in America because teachers gradually begin to “teach the test”. Statistics and research from the University of Maryland show that since education is becoming more competitive, teachers in turn become more propelled to find ways to maintain their teaching status and scores. As a result, they teach only what matters to the school and takes out the rest, which doesn’t help the students and rather harms them in the long run. Based on these different effects of standardized testing, America actually has more of a negative education system than positive.
With the creativity of students diminished in standardized tests, we can’t guarantee a more advanced society with many unique individuals. Without schools that focus on a student’s learning over statistics, we can’t guarantee a truly education-innovated system in America or even intelligent and distinct students. Without truly motivated teachers, there is no motivated student willing to dive further in education. With that said, as long as standardized tests are still around in America, we eventually will lose sight of what we call
“education”.