There is no doubt that you have you taken at least one type of standardized test. In fact, you probably took your first one in elementary school. Most American school children are all familiar with these types of tests and take them every year as an evaluation of their knowledge. However, standardized testing has become an obsession for lawmakers and members of administrations. From a young age, children are introduced to this idea that a singular test every year evaluates your intelligence.

Now, I do I have a bias. I have never been a good test taker. In fact, because of this, school is not my forte and if I want a good grade I have to work way harder than my peers. It is annoying, but for some reason tests seem to be the way to evaluate our knowledge. This can be good for some and bad for others. But this inequality already illuminates why standardized tests can be a problem.

I looked on the internet to see if anyone else agreed with my test taking views. What I found was a teacher, Ron Maggiano, who has realized 11 problems with the obsession of standardized testings. In fact, he left teaching because of standardized testing and explained this by saying:

"I can no longer cooperate with a testing regime that I believe is suffocating creativity and innovation in the classroom. We are not really educating our students anymore. We are merely teaching them to pass a test. This is wrong. Period."

During an interview with the Washington Post, Maggiano identified 11 problems he believes plague the education system because of test taking. Here are some of the most important ones:

3. Standardized tests are being used in high-stakes ways to evaluate and punish teachers.

I'm not sure what states are using the PARCC testing system but when it was introduced my junior year in New Jersey, my Algebra 2 class was used as guinea pigs for the test. We had to take this stupid, pointless, impossible and long test instead of learning. At first I didn't take it seriously because as a future Senior the test did not affect me. But then after our first round of test taking my teacher almost had a break down in classroom after she heard us joke about the test. She pleaded to us to try on the test because her job depended on it. I really liked this certain teacher and it angered me that this impossible test was dependent on her future.

5. The obsession with standardized tests is promoting a culture of cheating in many schools.

I have seen this multiple times. Students will do anything for a good grade on test because our future depends on it. I get that some cheating is unnecessary, but do people ever think that they are creating a environment for kids to feel so stressed they have to cheat to get a good grade? I think sometimes the administration and law-makers do not have the best interest in mind and instead try to take the easy route out. But they do not think of the consequences.

8. The obsession with raising student standardized test scores is leading to a one-size-fits-all curriculum that ignores the needs of individual students.

I took the SATs four times. I believe the highest I achieved was 1670. Luckily at this point I had finally realized how exploiting standardized testing is so I applied to schools that didn't require test scores. Thankfully more and more schools are becoming test optional. They are starting to realize how a 4 hour test can not evaluate a lifetime of knowledge. However, more importantly this test is made for only a certain type of student. It is also very class based. I was lucky enough to receive very expensive tutoring. But not everyone can afford this making the test easier for those who have the money to not only take it multiple times, but also get tutoring.

Here's the thing. I believe I am a pretty driven and somewhat intelligent person. But according to the American education system I am barely above average. This is funny to me because my teachers always told me I had great potential and had pretty good grasp at school.

My essays showed this too. But my test taking skills were crap. In fact, now in college I excel with essays but can't grasp exams. While I don't blame all my professors for giving me test, I blame the people who made our society one that became obsessed with test taking. I can grasp the idea of some tests in class, but standardized testing?? It needs to be reformed to become not only better our teachers but also for the people that is affects: the students.