 Banner Image of Pencil: via yola Taking a Test Image: Renato Ganoza, November 7, 2009 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic Home Page Written By: Cortney Laughlin Introduction What does standardized testing mean? Standardized Tests deal with evaluations of our mastery of the concepts that we learn in class. It reviews concepts that we learn from English, Math, Reading, and Science. Standardized testing completely changed after the No Child Left Behind Act came into effect in 2002. The ACT, and SAT Tests were made so they can be used to hold the States, and Schools more accountable for more student progress. The Act also puts into play a certain set of standards. They also make us take these tests to increase learning, and review other concepts. The standardized tests deal with English, Math, Reading, Science, and Essay (If you want to). In English, they have you fix the sentences by fixing the words. This will be a 75 question, 45 minute test. In Math, they give you word problems, and have you solve them. This will be a 60 question, and minute test. In reading, they give you a story, and have you ask questions about what you read. This will be a 40 question, 35 minute test. In Science, they give you graphs, and have you answer the questions that are part of the graph. This will be a 40 question, 35 minute test. Finally, if you want to do the essay, they give you directions, and tell you what to write about. This will also be a 30 minute test. These tests make up the concepts for the ACT, and SAT, and makes people learn more, and get smarter. Are Standardized Tests Fair? Standardized tests tend to measure not what students have been taught in school but what they bring to school. That’s the reason there’s a strong relationship between a school’s standardized-test scores and the economic and social makeup of the school’s student body (Popham). Our society is made up of different social classes and also different ethnic backgrounds. People learn from how they grow up and naturally learn from their ethnic background. Standardized tests tend to be unfair and discriminatory. Not everyone learns in the same way or has the same educational aptitude. Standardized tests aren’t structured to all different cultures. Stereotypically the upper class has plenty of money for a tutor to assist with homework, but the middle class would only have someone at home that could assist them with homework, and the lower class wouldn’t have anyone to assist them. Standardized tests tend to be biased. Does that mean that standardized tests are an unfairly advantage for white and Asian students but a disadvantage for the rest of the students? According to a group of educational organizations and civil rights groups the answer is yes. Standardized tests are unfair and discriminatory; because students with diverse backgrounds and skill levels are expected to answer questions written for the white students (Strauss). White children who live in rich areas tend to score the highest on the tests. This does not mean that these children are any more or less intelligent than others. This may be due to the fact that English is usually the only language that they speak; so, they do not have a language barrier. Another reason is that their parents can afford to purchase additional test preparation books and materials for them. It is unfair to those who are less fortunate or to those that English is not their first language. What this makes clear is that instead of setting different educational benchmarks for groups based on race or income, it may simply be time for us to stop relying so heavily on standardized tests to begin with. Though opinions differ as to why, on k-12 achievement tests and college entrance exams, lower income students, as well as black and Latino students, consistently score below privileged white and Asian students (Rooks). The No Child Left Behind plan attempts to address the issue of standardized tests not being fair to all kids. An American educator who was examining the British educational system once asked a headmaster why so little standardized testing took place in British schools. "My dear fellow," came the reply, "In Britain we are of the belief that, when a child is hungry, he should be fed, not weighed." (Bowers). Students in America test more than any other country, yet their learning more than ours. The Cost When asked about how much money is spent on standardized testing in schools, citizens are generally uninformed. Did you know that we spent less money on the Obama family last year than we spent on standardized testing? Standardized testing costs states $1.7 billion a year, or a quarter of 1% of total K-12 spending in the United States (Chingos). If instead the costs were devoted to an across-the-board pay increase for teachers, the average teacher would see their salary increase by one percent, or about $550 (Chingos). This money could be used for considerably greater things like school lunches, paying teachers a higher salary, hiring more teachers, or countless resources for students to use to broaden their horizon within education. Before the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was passed, schools spent $423 million on standardized testing. The No Child Left Behind Act was put into law in 2002, it holds states and schools more accountable for student progress, and puts into place a set of standards (West and Petterson). This Act required that states begin testing students in areas of math, science, and reading. Almost 60 million standardized tests are administered each year to meet NCLB requirement (Facts About Standardized Testing). In 2007 the federal government gave states only $407.6 million to help pay for standardized testing required by NCLB (Facts About Standardized Testing). That is a small amount compared to the $1.7 billion a state spends in a year for standardized testing. The money spent testing kids on what they already know just for our information needs to be spent somewhere else that will improve our economy and our future in the long run.
America is facing a creativity crisis with standardized testing, since teachers teach to the test (Zagursky). Since teachers are teaching to the test there isn’t time for creative projects. Not everyone learns in the same way or as fast as their peers. That is why having a standard to test and compare students isn’t necessary but it is a requirement by the No Child Left Behind Act. This testing requirement is expensive since a state spends $1.7 billion dollars a year on standardized testing. Standardized testing is unnecessary and states need to spend their money on something that would benefit the state and the people within it. Don't forget to go look at our college standardized testing page!
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No More Standardized Testing
Works Cited
Bowers, Bruce C. "Alternatives to Standardized Educational Assessment." 1989. http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9213/alternatives.htm.Web.
Chingos, Matthew M. "Strength in Numbers State Spending on K-12 Assessment Systems." November 2012. Brown Center on Eucation Policy at Brookings.
"Facts About Standardized Testing." Standardized Testing. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2011. 125. Print.
Hatch, Nathan O. "Standardized Tests Should Be Eliminated in College Admissions." College. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2009. 121-126. Print.
Neill, Monty. "Standardized Testing Has Harmed Poor and Minority Students." Standardized Testing. Farmington Hill: Greenhaven Press, 2011. 29-35. Print.
Popham, W. James. "Standardized Tests Must Be Redesigned." School Reform. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2011. 85-90. Print.
Rooks, Noliwe M. "Why It's Time to Get Rid of Standardized Tests." TIME 11 October 2012.
Strauss, Valerie. "Unanswered Questions About Standardized Tests." Washington Post 26 April 2011.
West, Martin R. and Paul E. Petterson. "The Politics and Practice of Accountability." No Child Left Behind? Brookings Institution Press, 2003. 1-2. Print.
Zagursky, Erin. "Smart? Yes Creative? Not So Much." 3 February 2011. www.wm.edu.Web.
