What Went Wrong With Standardized Testing

Since the 1870’s, standardized testing has been around in the United States, and almost one hundred years later, the American College Testing Program (commonly referred to as the ACT) was created in 1959. The Bush administration of 2001 established today’s standardized testing methods with No Child Left Behind. Now in today’s society and learning environment this form of testing is hurting our students more than ever. Teachers and students alike are carrying the burden of these tests, ruining the educational system. These tests break students down into drones only focusing on this one, or sometimes multiple, tests that could determine the rest of their adult lives. While the ACT and Standardized Tests promote direct learning and their problems
A test could be passed by simple guess answers, or even cheating by a student. These tests create artificial learning environments for students, where said students will only focus on the one test to make their grade and teachers to save their jobs. Teaching to the test is a big problem by several teachers across the country. The method is also referred to as the “Drill and Kill” method. Well explained in a journal article by Michael A. LaFerrara, titled “The Conflict Over Standardized Testing Is a Consequence of Government-Run Schools,” he says, “As for teachers, their jobs could hinge on ‘drill-and-kill test prep’ (also called ‘teaching to the test’) rather than their ability to educate students.” Basically saying that teachers will only focus on the test in their learning environment to save their jobs by students having worked hard to the test and be evaluated in good grades towards it.
“The reason is that government finances and thus controls the schools. If parents had full financial control of their children's education, they would judge for themselves the methods and policies of a given school; and if they disapproved of some aspect of a school (whether its testing procedures or anything else), they would be free to work out the issue directly with the school—or, if they deemed it necessary, move their child elsewhere,” says Michael A. LaFerrara in the same journal article. The government controls most of schools funds with grants and other methods of providing schools money. With the governments money in their hands the schools are forced to will their power to the ideas and methods of the government. In 2001, president George W. Bush enacted the “No Child Left Behind,” act. This act was supported by the Obama administration and is currently in place in the United States. This act created today’s usage of standardized testing with the thought of sticking to the title, leaving no child behind. In Michael’s article he quotes Valerie Strauss from the Washington Post, saying in relation to the act, “has triggered ‘an expanding revolt against high-stakes standardized tests and the use of students' scores to evaluate teachers, schools, districts and states.’” These options presented by the government is hurting the value of