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Kyra McClure

Professor Christy Trotter

Eng 1201-509

24 March 2019

Standardized Testing in Schools Today

Standardized testing has become common in today’s time, especially in America.

Students spend between twenty to twenty-five hours a year on standardized testing. Thirteen

states require students to take a state test as a requirement to collect a high school diploma.

Twenty-Five states require students to take the SAT or ACT in order to go to college. Also, in

Ohio we require our third-grade students to pass a test in order to continue to fourth grade. With

all of the tests, when does it leave time for creativity and class time to learn incredibly important

information that they need to know for the future? I argue that standardized testing should be

removed from school systems because they are an unreliable measurement of a child’s learning,

they cause stress in teachers which could result in teaching to the test, they are costly and unfair.

Many believe that standardized testing started when the president at the time, George W.

Bush, created the “No Child Left Behind Act.” However, this is not true. Standardized testing

has been around since the early 1920s. It simply wasn't common. In 1965, the Elementary and

Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was created by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The ESEA was

a civil rights law. ESEA offered multiple grants to districts that serve less fortunate students,

money for textbooks and library books, scholarships for low-income students to go to college

and so much more. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was created and signed into law by

President George W. Bush in 2001. Under NCLB, students had to test in both reading/language

arts and math in grades 3rd- 8th and once in high school. States were required to make sure that
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all students were performing at a proficient level. States were allowed to choose what they

thought proficiency looked like. They also got to choose what test their students got to take.

Many say when the NCLB was created, more problems were created with it. December 2015,

the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), was created and signed into law by President Barack

Obama. This replaced the NCLB act. The ESSA gave more control to schools to decide what

they think their students should be learning and what standards are they held to. States are

required to send their goals and standards they plan to achieve to the U.S Board of Education.

Students are still required to take a test from grades third through eighth and once in high school.

One of the goals ESSA has is making sure everyone is getting a fair and equal education. With

that being said, the ESSA requires that all schools must offer college and career counseling/help

and advanced placement courses. The ESSA also has requirements with children with

disabilities.

Standardized testing is a unreliable measurement of a student’s performance and is unfair

to students and staff. They do not show the full potential of different students. It cannot measure

creativity and critical thinking. When student’s take this test, they officially become a barcode. It

does not matter about how they perform in all of their classes or what hobbies they are good at,

what matters is if they perform at or above a proficient level. There many factors that could

affect a child during this test.

Test anxiety is becoming more common in children. Most children are receiving this

because of the pressure they are under. Test anxiety is a type of performance anxiety. It is a

feeling someone might have where performance really counts or a lot of pressure is being put on

them. If a child has test anxiety it can easily make them fail a test due to lack of concentration or

nervousness. A student could also lose a loved one, or have a hard time at home that may also
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cause that student to fail. The test is also timed. You have a certain amount of time to complete

all of the questions to the best of your abilities. Depending on the child, it might not be enough

time. The child can begin to feel rushed or pressured and accidentally fail his or her test.

Some students excel at standardized testing while others may have a harder time taking

them. The standardized tests can fail to give every student an equal opportunity. There are so

many children failing the tests because they simply can’t do it. Students with learning disabilities

still must take the test! However, they receive extra time, can get the test read to them and

modifications to their test. It also might be extremely difficult with a student that has ADHD or

ADD. This test might make things ten times harder for them. It would be very hard for someone

with ADHD to sit down for a couple of hours and try to focus on a test that affects their whole

future.Also, children that are non-English speakers still must take the test with the exception of

getting their paper read to them in their regular language. This can be very stressful for them.

Also, it does not measure students learning correctly. For example, if a child got passed the test

many people would assume they understand the material. However, that may not be the case.
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The child could have simply memorized all the practice test questions their teachers provided

them with.

Many state tests aren’t counted for a grade. When children find out that the test isn’t for a

grade, they don’t take it seriously anymore. They begin to just fill in random bubbles and write

random things because they don’t care. This makes the children fail their test. All because they

gave up. Many children give up on their tests because most of the time it is too hard for them.

This makes the test even more unreliable because you aren’t truly seeing what the child is

learning.

These tests also don't provide a fair opportunity for everyone. Urban areas with more

low-income students have fewer resources than a suburban area. More money gets poured into

suburban schools and they also get more parent involvement. This provides the urban schools

with an unfair disadvantage. Every child is different. Everyone has something they are great at

and something that they aren’t the best at. Tests just aren’t for everyone.
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Fig 1. Standardized Testing Political Cartoon.

This image is stating that if they do poorly on their teachers will be fired and the

child is asking if the test will make his school. This image shows how much pressure they put on

staff and students.

Standardized tests cause teachers to teach the test and puts a lot of pressure on teachers.

Teaching to the test is a major issue in the education system. Most teachers educate themselves

and others on different topics or classwork they know will be on the test. They base most of their

lessons and homework on things that will be on the test. Teaching to the test means that teachers

focus on teaching and prepping students for standardized testing. I recently interviewed my

godmother, Anisa Cummings on standardized testing. She admitted that she too teaches to the

test. She also said “She has no choice. Teaching in an inner-city school is different. Most of them

receive low test scores, so we are forced to teach to the test to ensure that they all pass their test.”

This is happening not only in inner-city schools but everywhere! Many teachers feel obligated to

teach to the test because they feel like it is the only way their students will pass. Teaching to the
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test limits creativity in the classroom. It can also possibly limit a child’s thinking. If the lesson

that the teacher is teaching does not spark a child’s interest, they are not going to want to learn.

Standardized testing is very stressful for teachers. Five to twenty-five percent of class

time is dedicated to testing prep. Their whole career is based on children passing a test they don't

want to take. This can be very pressuring for teachers. Schools are using tests as rewards and

punishments. If your students pass all their tests, you receive a raise. If your students receive low

test scores, you're going to get fired or get your pay lessoned. Many parents often get upset

when their child does fail a test and blames the teacher because they are the one teaching the

material.

Teachers get so stressed they give children test-prep activities all of the time instead of

making sure the students are meeting standards in a fun and enjoyable way. It’s hard to focus on

making sure the kids are learning and have an enjoyable time especially if your job depends on

it. These tests shape kids into great test takers. They know how to comprehend a selection. They

can tell you all the different ways to take a test. However, what is this preparing them for? I

always thought that what I learned throughout my twelve years of school would help prepare me

for college or real-world problems. However, I am a freshman in college and I haven’t used the

Pythagorean Theorem yet. We need to teach our children things that could affect their future or

things that we need to talk about in today’s time.

Standardized testing creates a negative attitude towards schooling. Many kids hate going

to school now. Some kids cry because they absolutely refuse to go to school. School is just a

very unenjoyable place for children now. They are forced to sit in a desk all day and learn about

things that aren’t fascinating to them. They come to school to have fun and have fun learning.

Students are scared to go to school because they are scared to fail. School is becoming less and
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less important to children. They are starting not to care! It is proven that the happier the students

are the higher performance you will receive from them. Some children aren’t passing these tests

because they simply are not enjoying school which is making them not collect the information

they need in order to pass. School is often dull and boring for them. Teachers are throwing so

much material at them and they aren’t collecting the information because they don’t enjoy it.

Many people often don’t know how expensive standardized testing is. 1.7 billion dollars

is spent on testing per year. Standardized testing costs can range from around forty-four dollars

to over hundreds of dollars. Many states are taking these tests on computers instead of on paper

which is costing more money because they have to pay for the programs and the computer. The

programs for the test are becoming more and more expensive.

We spend so much money on assessments that sometimes we forget that the money can

go towards more useful things. Not only are we paying for the tests but we are also paying for

new machines to grade these tests. Yes, machines. Machines are grading children’s test. This is

such a risky thing to do. There are many things that could go wrong with a machine grading your

test. It is so much easier if humans graded tests. We can try to understand what they were

thinking when they wrote their answers. We can also comprehend their essays more easily than a

robot can.

When the machines aren’t grading essays, there are workers that score tests. They have a

binder that is filled with samples of what the answer is supposed to look and what the answer is

not supposed to look like. They must look for evidence that proves that the child understood

some of what they read in the selection and they also look to see if they used grammar correctly.

The scorers must have a bachelor’s degree at the least. They also get paid around fifteen to

twenty dollars an hour if you include bonuses. They also receive training to make sure they are
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grading the papers correctly. You also do not have to have a degree in education or work in the

English department in order to grade the tests, which I find odd. Anyone can grade the papers

which is definitely unfair to students. We are spending unnecessary money. The 1.7 billion

dollars we use a year can go to more beneficial things.

There are a lot of reasons why many people would believe there shouldn't be

standardized tests. However, there are some reasons people think we should have standardized

testing. Many use standardized testing as a measurement to see where children is at. They use it

to see where struggling students need areas of improvement. They look and see what more do

gifted students need to learn. They can look at different standards and can give parents a good

idea of what needs to be worked on. It holds the student and the teacher accountable. Both the

teacher and the student can both make mistakes when it comes to the test. The teacher can make

classwork boring and pressuring by teaching to the test. However, the student could not be taking

the test seriously and has a hard time concentrating. It can definitely help gather data for the

teachers. It can help that teacher determine what she needs to work on and what the class needs

to work on as well.

It can also help schools in a way. If your school is proven to get good test scores, more

people would want to come to your school. It also gives the teacher a good curriculum in the

classroom. It gives guidelines and suggestions on what you should be teaching which could help

the students in a way. The standards and guidelines for the test can possibly help them in the

next grade. Also having stricter tests can help prepare students for when they have to take exams

in college. One thing that is also not bad about the tests is they aren’t counted for a grade! The

grades you get at school and the score you get on the test are two completely different things.

This definitely provides relief on students. It can also give students a chance to work on things
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they struggle with. If they get their results and see they are struggling with math, then they can

work on it more. Even before the test, they can figure out what are their strengths and

weaknesses.If the teacher is going over material about the test they don't understand, she can

work with them until they figure it out which can cause better and higher test performances.

They are a lot of pros and cons about standardized testing, however, there are many

solutions! If we are going to keep standardized testing we should make the tests hands-on and

paper and pencil only. Staring at a computer screen for three to four hours is very stressful. You

can’t underline selections with a pencil or a highlighter. It is hard to show your work on a

computer and it is harder to read on the computer. We should make our test more paper-based.

We should also have a hands-on portion of the test. Many kids perform better when they work

hands-on. It helps them comprehend things better.

We can also stop testing so early. It was very stressful being eight to nine years old and

worrying if you were going to the next grade or not. We are testing kids way to early. We are

expecting third graders to write a full essay. We are expecting them to learn hard math problems.

We are stripping away their fun and using it to assess them all the time. We should push back

testing until middle school! The older you get the more it matters. Pushing back these tests to

later times can help relieve stress. It gives them more time to be kids and gives teachers more

freedom to teach things they feel is beneficial and fun for them.

If we are going to test children in high school, we should not make it a requirement. I can

understand why you would want to assess high schoolers. They are going to be going to college

soon. They need to learn how to prepare for tests and they need to learn the importance of tests.

However, they already do take tests. It is really stressful taking quizzes, tests, and

exams/midterms. Not even including the tests to graduate. However, we should assess them to
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make sure they comprehend everything! It would be really beneficial to know what needs to be

worked on.

Not having graduation tests would make things a little too easy which is why there

should be a replacement. In other countries and states, they replace tests with projects. Maybe

they have to write a report about something that have been working on throughout the year.

Maybe they have to make a big powerpoint for a community service project. There are

replacements!! There should be options. Every student learns differently. We can’t expect that

everything will work exactly the same for every child because that is very unrealistic. I have seen

these projects and students tend to like them a lot more than the tests.

I recently read a article that was about what they thought could be a beneficial assessment

and I agreed. They are called performance assessments. According to the article they are,

“created by teachers and rooted in inquiry-based curricula and teaching. Students learn to

investigate topics in depth and to explore their own interests within each subject.” This is a great

idea because this makes students a little bit more excited about the test because it is over

something they enjoy and they know about.

I have also seen portfolios! They gather and collect data throughout the entire school

year. They keep projects, tests, quizzes, homework, and worksheets. They keep everything.

When it gets towards the end of the year they grade them based on the type of work they have

been receiving throughout the school year! This is helpful because it still shows progress! By

looking at the quizzes and the tests and the other things in their portfolio you can see what needs

to be worked on and what things they are really good. It is also a good way because it doesn't add

as much pressure on the kids. The main thing they need to be concerned about is making good
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grades and working hard. This also lessened stress for teachers as well. They don’t have to teach

to a test anymore because everything is in the portfolio.

Standardized testing has been here for decades. There have been laws passed on them.

Everyone has been affected by them in a good way and in a bad way. There are many substitutes

we can use in exchange for standardized testing. They are an unreliable measurement of a child’s

mind and thinking. They are stressful teachers which could evolve into teaching to the test. They

are expensive and unfair. The cons outweigh the pros. I argue we should abolish all standardized

testing in the education system.

Works Cited

“Creative Alternatives to Standardized Test Taking.” American University School of Education,

soeonline.american.edu/blog/creative-alternatives-to-standardized-test-taking.

Cummings, Anisa. Person interview, 27 February 2019

Day, Richard. “Standardized Testing: Pro and Con.” Standardized Testing: Pro and Con, 1 Jan.

1970, theprincipal.blogspot.com/2013/08/standardized-testing-pro-and-con.html.

“Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).” Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) | U.S. Department of

Education, www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn.

Gewertz, Catherine. “What Tests Does Each State Require?” Education Week, 7 Mar. 2019,

www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/what-tests-does-each-state-require.html.
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Klein, Alyson. “No Child Left Behind Overview: Definitions, Requirements, Criticisms, and

More.” Education Week, 25 Oct. 2018, www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/no-child-left-

behind-overview-definition-summary.html.

Klodell, Claire. “The Two Words That Make Every Student Cringe.” The Huffington Post,

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 5 Aug. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com/claire-klodell/standardized-

tests_b_5448020.html.

Layton, Lyndsey. “Study says standardized testing is overwhelming nation’s public schools.”

The Washington Post, 24 October 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/study-

says-standardized-testing-is-overwhelming-nations-public-schools/2015/10/24/8a22092c-79ae-

11e5-a958-d889faf561dc_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d2456fc3cada

Ravitch, Diane. “The Common Core Costs Billions and Hurts Students.” Nytimes, 23 July 2016,

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/24/opinion/sunday/the-common-core-costs-billions-and-

hurts-students.html?module=inline

Sanchez, Claudio. “How Standardized Tests Are Scored (Hint: Humans Are Involved).” NPR,

NPR, 8 July 2015, www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/07/08/420559529/unveiling-how-

standardized-tests-are-scored.

Ujifusa, Andrew. “Standardized Testing Costs States $1.7 Billion a Year, Study Says.”

Education Week, 21 Feb. 2019, www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/11/29/13testcosts.h32.html.