Standardized Testing

Standardized Testing

Everyday millions of students around the word get out their number two pencils and begin bubbling in answers to ultimately indicate their abilities and strengths. Standardized tests have been around for over one hundred years and will continue to be around for many years to come. If you’re an average high school student like me you have a growing hate for standardized testing and fully understand that a single test score doesn’t prove much, if anything at all. Standardized tests have caused teachers to teach to the test, which leaves students left with little knowledge of the overall topic. Another downside to standardized testing is the absence of the overall growth of the student. Yes, standardized testing shows how the school is progressing academically but they more importantly leave out crucial information of the progression of the student body. Standardized testing is completely unneeded and unnecessary for all students and is essentially pointless in the end.

Method of Introduction: Background info/ description

Body #1 Teaching to the test

* Teachers are leaving out crucial information students need

* Teachers are only teaching what is going to be on the test and not the entire content

* Students don’t get the entire class content and are left with little knowledge

Body #2 Only show the individual students performance of one day

* Do not show the progress the student is making academically

* There is a such thing as a “bad test-taker”

* Tests don’t accurately show a student’s ability and readiness for college

Body #3 Only show how the school is progressing or not progressing academically

* Don’t show dropout rates

* Don’t show college acceptance rates

* Tests don’t accurately demonstrate the abilities of the students at that highschool