Against Standardized Testing

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Standardized testing is a topic that has been around for many years and has been implemented in schools since the mid-1800s. People have always questioned whether standardized testing is improving education in America or if it is making it worse. Organizations have been created to provide their insights on standard education and how it has affected student progress, in order to make a change. The US Department of Education and FairTest, also known as National Center for Fair and Open Testing, are organizations who have many different beliefs and goals toward standardized testing but they want students to be successful. They also want the best education possible for all students in America. These organizations combined together can work to form …show more content…
But unlike them, FairTest organization is against standardized testing. They believe that standardized testing damages education in many ways. In contrast to what the US Department of Education believes, FairTest says “The No Child Left Behind era has seen an unprecedented expansion of standardized testing and test misuse” (1). What they mean by that, is that standardized exams are being used to measure student learning, teacher and school quality, and to propose authorizations based on these scores that are not all accurate. The people who are mostly hurt from these assessments are students from minority backgrounds, non-English speakers, and children with disabilities because they are presented with a different curriculum than middle and upper class students, who receive a better education with college prep programs and are taught to be fully prepared for these examinations. In many districts teachers are pressured to keep these standardized test scores rising because it determines school performance. Teachers conform to the multiple choice format and learn to teach students what is only on these final standardized assessments, which are mostly on math and reading. Students are not learning; they are just remembering or memorizing material in order to pass an exam. FairTest explains that “Assessment based …show more content…
But in order for them to achieve what they want they have to compromise. If both these organizations come together and develop a compromise of giving states room to develop their own testing system, then there will not be excessive standardized testing. States can make examinations or assessments on everything that is learned throughout the year and exams that are also more focused on a student’s thought process, having both theoretical and practical questions, than just multiple choice questions. Bob Schaeffer says that teachers should not be teaching to the test, meaning that students should not just be taught material that is going to be on the test, but also material that will help them learn new things and benefit them in other situations as well. Schaeffer also mentions that “Students lose out on rich learning experiences when districts cut art, music, sports, social studies, science and other subjects to focus strictly on math and reading tests” (36). Even though both organizations would have to give up standardized testing, they both will end up having a great education for all students. Students can excel through other assessments that aren’t standardized, and are made by the state. Every individual will have an equal opportunity of learning and they will actually learn instead of just
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