We were talking in one of my classes recently about the subject of standardized tests. It was mentioned that theses tests include biases that most people are unaware of. I thought this was interesting and decided to do some research. I found this article which gives some great examples of misunderstandings children encountered while taking standardized tests.
This article really opened my eyes and got me thinking more about the value on standardized tests.
Which lead me to do more research and I found this article talking about how standardized test have gotten out of control. Here is a list of the reasons it gave.
· Our children are tested to an extent that is unprecedented in our history and unparalleled anywhere else in the world.
· Noninstructional factors explain most of the variance among test scores when schools or districts are compared.
· Norm-referenced tests were never intended to measure the quality of learning or teaching.
· Standardized-test scores often measure superficial thinking.
· Virtually all specialists condemn the practice of giving standardized tests to children younger than 8 or 9 years old.
· Virtually all relevant experts and organizations condemn the practice of basing important decisions, such as graduation or promotion, on the results of a single test. -stakes testing is currently taking place, or scheduled to be introduced soon, in more than half the states.
· Many educators are leaving the field because of what is being done to schools in the name of "accountability" and "tougher standards.
After reading these articles I do not think standardized tests should be used in schools. I think it is time to rethink the way our children are tested. Obviously what we are doing now is not working. So when will school administrators understand that we need change?
My question to you is what is you opinion on standardized tests? Do you think we should keep them in schools?
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3 comments:
I hate all tests, especially standardized ones. I'm a smart person and a good student but I suffer from test anxiety. I've learned a few tricks over the years to help me, but of course none of them helped me for the ACT. I ended up having to take it 4 times in order to calm my nerves and achieve a good score. It is reasons like this I don't think standardized testing should be used anymore. I honestly believe that the ability of a student absolutely cannot be summed up on a piece of paper based on the results of a series of questions. It's not fair that important decisions such as getting accepted to college or a promotion can be so black and white based on some test scores. It's true that some kids are brighter than others, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're going to be harder or more dedicated workers. Standardized testing is just so impersonal, and it definitely should not be used for things such as consideration for a promotion. How well do schools prepare students for these tests anyways?
What do these tests truly measure? They measure the ability of students to cram for weeks with the help of classes and a tutor. Isn't this exactly what educators want to steer clear from, this superficial learning? This kind of behavior sort of makes a joke out of tests like the ACT or SAT, because with enough money spent, an adequate score can be achieved. So yes, I agree that standardized tests don't actually test what they're supposed to and school administrators need to make a change and come up with a better system.
Standardized test are one of the worst things for kids in high school and younger. Everyone makes it such a big deal to get a good ACT or SAT score to get into a good college. What do these tests even prove? That you can write an essay in under 45 minutes? Or that a chicken is somehow related to a duck?
Schools of higher education, like universities, should look into the students work ethic or common sense during high school to determine the persons intelligence and how much they can succeed at a higher level. We all know the people that get perfect test scores that can not function in the real world. Testing in general just proves you can memorize something for 2 hours and not that you learned anything. Something needs to be done about this type of testing in every level of education.
This was a topic of great debate within my high school. Recently in one of my classes, I was made aware of the fact that school performance is correlated with family income. Families with higher incomes have kids who tend to do better on the SAT. Yes, colleges do believe that standardized tests predict college freshman performance, but the level of college performance correlation is just as high as the correlation between success on the test and family income. So how can they really rely on the tests? According to the correlation, standardized tests could easily dismiss students from lower income families who have the potential to do just as well-if not better-than the students from the higher income families. I find the whole process extremely unfair and manipulative.
If the tests are designed to measure potential, then they simply need to be redesigned to become more universal because contemporary formats seem to cater to higher-class pupils. Denying a student the privilege of a college education because he or she received poor marks on a standardized test but still maintained an exemplary GPA is disgraceful.
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