The Overuse of Testing in Public Schools
By Lauryn French
Standardized tests were popularized in 2002 after the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in America and by 2009 the negative effects of these tests were evident. America had slipped from 18th in the world to 31st in math, the other subjects experienced a similar change.
Also the Standardized testing greatly increased the amount that states spent on the creation of tests. Following the passage of NCLB on Jan. 8, 2002, annual state spending on standardized tests rose from $423 million to almost $1.1 billion in 2008. An almost 160% increase.
The tests also personally affected students. Many students reported having test related stress and anxiety and the Sacramento Bee reported that "test-related jitters, especially among young students, are so common that the Stanford-9 exam comes with instructions on what to do with a test booklet in case a student vomits on it."
These tests are unnessecary because they do not prepare students for the real world. They teach students to use deductive reasoning or guessing skills rather than to use applicable methods.
Not only are students being negatively impacted teachers are also being forced to change the way they teach. Instead of doing their job the way most of them enjoy they just have to "teach by the test". Instead of teaching in a practical way so students actually learn teachers just have to tell students how to pass a test, and most of the times students do not retain almost any information after the test.
Tests do not accurately display students full potential, but are still frequently used as 20% - 25% of their final grades. It is unfair that such a small snapshot of everything that a child has learned through the entirety of the course counts for such a large portion of grades.
Standardized tests can also be argued as unfair because English learner students that have not fully learned the language are still required to take tests in English. Also, students with mental disabilities are not given as much help as they often are in class on these tests. Lastly, students that are not primarily visual learners may have a harder time displaying their full potential due to the formatting of the tests.
As you can see Standardized tests are not only Unnecessary, they are also unfair to many students and cause many students avoidable stress.
Standardized tests were popularized in 2002 after the No Child Left Behind Act was passed in America and by 2009 the negative effects of these tests were evident. America had slipped from 18th in the world to 31st in math, the other subjects experienced a similar change.
Also the Standardized testing greatly increased the amount that states spent on the creation of tests. Following the passage of NCLB on Jan. 8, 2002, annual state spending on standardized tests rose from $423 million to almost $1.1 billion in 2008. An almost 160% increase.
The tests also personally affected students. Many students reported having test related stress and anxiety and the Sacramento Bee reported that "test-related jitters, especially among young students, are so common that the Stanford-9 exam comes with instructions on what to do with a test booklet in case a student vomits on it."
These tests are unnessecary because they do not prepare students for the real world. They teach students to use deductive reasoning or guessing skills rather than to use applicable methods.
Not only are students being negatively impacted teachers are also being forced to change the way they teach. Instead of doing their job the way most of them enjoy they just have to "teach by the test". Instead of teaching in a practical way so students actually learn teachers just have to tell students how to pass a test, and most of the times students do not retain almost any information after the test.
Tests do not accurately display students full potential, but are still frequently used as 20% - 25% of their final grades. It is unfair that such a small snapshot of everything that a child has learned through the entirety of the course counts for such a large portion of grades.
Standardized tests can also be argued as unfair because English learner students that have not fully learned the language are still required to take tests in English. Also, students with mental disabilities are not given as much help as they often are in class on these tests. Lastly, students that are not primarily visual learners may have a harder time displaying their full potential due to the formatting of the tests.
As you can see Standardized tests are not only Unnecessary, they are also unfair to many students and cause many students avoidable stress.