Against Standardized Testing

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Why do we need standardized testing? In 2002, President Bush signed a bill called the “no child left behind act” which mandated standardized testing (National Archives and Records Administration). Merriam Webster dictionary says a standardized test is “a test whose reliability has been established by obtaining an average score of a significantly large number of individuals for use as a standard of comparison.” Standardized tests are used by our government to measure and compare students. Although some believe standardized testing holds teachers and students accountable, standardized testing should be abolished because it fails at improving student test grades, measuring improvement, and changing teaching for the worse. To begin, the United States government …show more content…
This proves that standardized testing failed to bring up U.S. test scores. Not only that, but standardized tests only take into account how a student performs one time, not showing improvement (Medor). Derrick Medor, a school superintendent with two degrees in education, shows this. “standardized testing” also shares this view, stating, “Most importantly, critics of standardized testing agree that standardized testing only serves to demonstrate students’ performance on the day of the test and does not accurately reflect their true abilities.” In author words, if a student is having a bad day, it will reflect on the test and there is nothing they can do about it. To conclude, standardized testing fails at properly measuring student improvement and improving test grades. Standardized testing changes teachers for the worse. For instance, standardized testing causes teachers to “teach to the test” and stresses them out so much they