Standardized Tests
Problems with Standardized Testing
Do standardized test scores accurately describe the achievements of a student? Regardless of what reports and newspapers suggest, scores on standardized tests do not reflect a student’s achievements or abilities. Standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT are the focus of argument not only among teachers and educational reformers, but also among students. Opponents agree that the standardized tests are weighted too heavily, and that test anxiety obstructs learning, and finally, that standardized tests are not objective.
Colleges exaggerate the weight of the scores that students earn on standardized tests, thereby focusing too closely on test scores rather than the student’s ability. Instead, colleges and admission boards should look at the grades that students earn in the classroom, which is the place where a student’s capability is truly put to the test. Teachers will supply assessments based on the material that they have assigned and reviewed which is the fairest way to evaluate the student’s effort and ability. Studies have shown that SAT scores do not accurately measure the abilities of students, so if a test is going to be used, it should be created by the college or university. If each college were to create its own standardized test based on the curriculum taught, the test scores would dramatically increase and each student would have a fair chance of reaching their full potential.
In addition, colleges overvalue standardized test scores; the tests cost an exorbitant amount of money and the “benefits” of the tests do not justify these costs. Many families will spend excessive amounts of money in order to see their child excel on the SAT, which often leads to disappointment. Students will prepare countless hours in order to do well on the test; they will spend hours in a classroom environment doing hundreds of multiple choice questions in hopes that their practice will result in a successful score. They will even spend
Do standardized test scores accurately describe the achievements of a student? Regardless of what reports and newspapers suggest, scores on standardized tests do not reflect a student’s achievements or abilities. Standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT are the focus of argument not only among teachers and educational reformers, but also among students. Opponents agree that the standardized tests are weighted too heavily, and that test anxiety obstructs learning, and finally, that standardized tests are not objective.
Colleges exaggerate the weight of the scores that students earn on standardized tests, thereby focusing too closely on test scores rather than the student’s ability. Instead, colleges and admission boards should look at the grades that students earn in the classroom, which is the place where a student’s capability is truly put to the test. Teachers will supply assessments based on the material that they have assigned and reviewed which is the fairest way to evaluate the student’s effort and ability. Studies have shown that SAT scores do not accurately measure the abilities of students, so if a test is going to be used, it should be created by the college or university. If each college were to create its own standardized test based on the curriculum taught, the test scores would dramatically increase and each student would have a fair chance of reaching their full potential.
In addition, colleges overvalue standardized test scores; the tests cost an exorbitant amount of money and the “benefits” of the tests do not justify these costs. Many families will spend excessive amounts of money in order to see their child excel on the SAT, which often leads to disappointment. Students will prepare countless hours in order to do well on the test; they will spend hours in a classroom environment doing hundreds of multiple choice questions in hopes that their practice will result in a successful score. They will even spend