The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

A standardized test is an examination that is given by a regular or standard method. Standardized tests are intended to have constant questions, control systems, and scoring systems. When a standardized test is administered, is it done according to specific rules and terms so that testing requirements are the same for all test takers. Standardized tests come in various forms, such as standardized conversations, questionnaires, or directly given intelligence tests. The main advantage of standardized tests is that they are typically more stable and efficient than non-standardized measures. They often implement some standard score that can help understand how far a child’s score ranges from the average. Because of the high-stakes outcomes connected
However, ELL students have difficulties familiarizing with American culture. Solórzano discusses the problems and concerns of the reliability, validity, and fairness of high-stake testing on ELL student. Solórzano analyzed critical evaluation of the challenges involved in high-stakes testing that are related to accountability efforts. As Solórzano (2008) states, "Yet in addition to examining the test scores of low-performing students, policy makers need to determine the extent that English language proficiency affects test scores and inferences made from them, especially for high stakes decisions. Because of the potentially adverse effect of decisions made based on inappropriately testing policies, educators need to ask if testing ELLs is indeed ethical and fair and whether the results are useful for informing instruction" (p. 262). Standardized testing is constructed inappropriately for ELL student; often ELL student don't understand what they are tested on. Also for ELL students, these tests can deny their cultural beliefs and expectations. ELL students who come from other countries without such restrictions, the idea of time limits in testing can be difficult to understand and equally difficult to get used to. Additionally, many test questions contain cultural references (holidays, sports, etc.) that are unfamiliar to ELL students. According to Au (2009) research, " these cumulative effects disproportionately hurt non-white students who do not fit the discursive norms of the tests. This last point is critical. The importance of acknowledging the ‘home’ cultures and identities of the students we instruct, in order to make our teaching more effective, culturally relevant, and less alienating, has long been recognized by scholars and practitioners in the field” (Valenzuela, 1999; Vavrus, 2002, p. 70). Theology