A common benchmark for colleges and schools is the test score provided by standardized test. Colleges largely use the test scores from exams such as the ACT or SAT to determine admission or whether or not a student is required to take remedial courses. States also administer test through the Common Core education program and are extending the reach to now include writing. These test scores are unfair for students and teachers. Although standardized tests are most often thought to be beneficial to students, in reality they are not.
The most common seen benefit of standardized testing is the baseline that is created. Test like the ACT and SAT are frequently used by colleges for admission purposes because the tests are given nation wide allowing for an equal measurement of a student's ability. Trysh L. Holmes writes, in the article “States seek to raise grades.”, “Under standardized testing, students are continually tested to see how well they perform on standards developed by state education officials. These test not only give teachers and parents an idea of how a students is doing, but also provide officials with statistics on how well a school district or state is performing as a whole.”. Essentially, these state tests are used to make sure the education received is beneficial to the students, and the scores give the parents an idea of their child’s school performance. The standards also make sure that each school district is close to the same level and that a particular district is not falling behind when compared to the others. However, these benefits are outweighed by the harms of standardized testing.
Standardized testing does not fairly represent a student. A serious issue that arises with standardized tests is the anxiety that it creates. Students are placed in an artificial learning environment with strict time boundaries and legally binding rules. The time limits and complexity of the questions, not only on the ACT and SAT but also those of state Common Core tests, create pressure on students to answer all of the questions and also answer to the best of their ability. Standardized tests have become a determining factor for students on where they can attend college, how much scholarship reward they will receive, and academic programs they will be accepted to. These tests play a much bigger role on a student's future than they should. A student with test anxiety may have a high grade point average, which reflects their classroom performance, but have a low standardized test score, and as a result of that score their college career may be at stake. The performance of a student in the classroom is much more important because it reflects the type of behavior that will be shown in the college classroom. Likewise, a student that excels on the tests may make a good score, but they may have a poor academic classroom performance. In the end, a poor classroom performance would pose negatively for the school wasting not only time but also money on a student not worthy.
Bobbie A. Solley writes in his article, “Standardized Testing Has Negatively Impacted Public Schools.”, “Standardized tests are now used to hold up children and schools for comparison; the scores are used to discriminate rather than diagnose, punish rather than reward.”. Essentially, there is a new implied meaning that these test are no longer used to make sure all students are on the same level and not falling behind, but rather children are compared with each other and schools are compared with other schools competing for funding. These comparisons can lead to even greater issues such as bullying and self confidence issues. There is also no way to know what individual students can improve on, and teachers don’t get results back until their lesson plans have already been completed. For high school juniors they experience over testing with multiple ACT test throughout their junior and senior year but also state tests that, in the State of Tennessee, are made up of 2 written prompts and multiple choice questions which will contribute to the student's final grade. Students regardless of the grade level are becoming over tested. Standardized test do not fairly represent the capability of students.
Second, standardized test do not fairly represent teachers. Common Core tests, that are given by the state to public school students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, are often used to determine teacher pay and employment. While this can be beneficial to decipher the good teachers from the bad, it can also have a sense of falsely reflecting. For example, students are given projection scores prior to testing; if a student scores below their projection it reflects negatively on the teacher, and it will also impact their pay. The results make it appear as though the teacher is not doing an adequate job teaching when in fact they are teaching students properly. In Leonard Vogt’s article “Standardized testing.”, Vogt explains “protesting parents and educators have not been heard … until now, and for a very interesting reason: a cheating scandal in Atlanta, where 35 teachers, administrators, and even a former superintendent changed students’ test scores.”. If the results of test determine factors for teachers, such as pay, there is motive for cheating and answer changing. Scores also affects how much money and funds schools will receive from the government. Teachers also have to be concerned with teaching the test and the specific standards that will be convered. As a result there will be slim benefit for the student because they will learn the semi-outdated requirements for those test.
