Standardized Test Advantages

Standardized tests are also used as an assessment to measure the progress that a student has made in one academic year. Of course, one test would not be sufficient for assessing the student's academic capability but, the test results would be a fairly accurate indicator (Thompson). Educators can take advantage of standardized tests by assessing where the student falls in their grade level on a national scale. If the student is falling behind academically compared to his peers, his educators will be able to help him instead of allowing the problem to persist. Similarly, a student that is continuously performing above average might be placed in a more rigorous class as a challenge or given opportunities to pursue extra interests (Thompson). Standardized
tests would thus aid in a student’s education by providing a way for teachers to evaluate the effectiveness of a curriculum and mold it to fit a student’s learning style.
The advantages that come with standardized testing are irrefutable. Students in schools that provide standardized testing learn more than their counterparts in schools that do not require standardized tests (Phelps). Thus, it is evident that the assessment that these tests provide educators are invaluable. With these tests, teachers can design effective lesson plans that match their student's learning style. Also, as students know their weaknesses, they can work harder to improve them as opposed to students that perform poorly but lack an understanding of their academic needs.
Some may argue that standardized testing narrows the curriculum and place limits on teachers. However, standardized tests allow teachers to focus on the important skills that all students need to master. This “teaching to the test” approach proves effective as it eliminated time-wasting activities that do not provide relevant learning. By teachers focusing on the important material, classroom time would be used more effectively, and