Why Is Standardized Testing Unfair

Standardized Testing is Unfair and Biased A 2001 study published by the Brookings Institution found that 50-80% of year-over-year test score improvements were temporary and "caused by fluctuations that had nothing to do with long-term changes in learning..." Standardized testing is becoming a more prevalent debate in society due to the fact that people are realizing it is unable to fairly judging a student's academic ability. Standardized testing is inequitable because it does not properly determine a student’s full academic ability, discriminatory of minority races and lower income families, and also places too much pressure on students to succeed on the test. Standardized testing only gives a small glimpse of a student's academic ability.
Herbert J. Walberg stated, “Standardized test can provide such information at low costs and very little class time” Which means that in the few hours it takes to complete the test, educators can get a good idea of what the student’s performance in school is. Also, “K-12 students who practice demonstrating their knowledge and skills on standardized tests throughout their school career become better prepared to meet future educational, occupational, and professional goals.” (Walberg). The test quickly assess someone's skill set that they have and how they will react in future situations. The tests are able to give us an idea of the level of success someone will achieve in his or her career. Former governor of West Virginia Gaston Caperton, is the president of the college board, the company that owns and develops the SAT tests wrote, “The goal of the college admissions process is to help every student find a college that best matches his or her interests and needs.” The SAT or ACT standardized testing is used as a tool to help colleges determine whether the school is a good fit for the student, or if the college thinks the student is not quite qualified enough. Many standardized test supporters believe this to be true, “K-12 students who practice demonstrating their knowledge and skills on standardized tests throughout their school career become better prepared to meet future educational, occupational, professional goals” (Walberg). Students also are required to take exams throughout schooling for every profession and career, this is why many argue that it is giving a good estimation of how well students will perform at the university level. It gives colleges a place to begin with how much prior knowledge the student will have before even attending the school they applied