Standardized Testing Argumentative Analysis

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Diane Ravich, Founder and President of the Network of Public Education, says, “Sometimes, the most brilliant and intelligent minds do not shine in standardized tests because they do not have standardized minds.” Not only does standardized testing in Pennsylvania, as Ravich suggests, fail to take into account the diversity students, it also wastes time and taxpayers’ money among other things.
While I agree with the supporters of standardized testing that students and teachers should be accountable, I don’t believe that standardized testing is the answer.
First of all, standardized testing lacks diversity. Everyone is special in their own unique way yet we’re expected to know some things. The Australian Childhood Foundation says, “Every child is different. Children develop differently, have different personalities, possess different strengths and require different kinds of support to meet their individual needs.”
Also the standardized testing doesn’t focus on a student’s mental age but focuses on a numerical age. According to the famous behavioural psychiatrist Piaget, “The ages at which children progress through the stages are
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Amy Frogge, a mother in Nashville, is bringing light to how much time students are spending on standardized testing. Her frustration is clearly expressed in the title: “My third grader is losing 6-8 weeks this year to standardized testing – for no good reason. Students are in school for 10 months out of the year.” According to Frogge, this means that students are consumed by testing for 1 1/2 – 2 months of those 10 months. Also According to the National Center for Fair and Open Testing most teachers do not find scores from standardized tests very useful. Every year Pennsylvania's students spend two weeks taking PSSA’s plus hours of time to practice. Instead of wasting time on taking tests, we should learn about occupations that prepare us for what we want to be in