Standardized Tests Do Not Measure Student Achievement...

Standardized testing has been around since the mid 1800’s. Even though testing has been around for a long time it is still debated whether or not it should precisely â€Å"score† students. Students have been subjected to standardized tests frequently through their years in school due to laws which have been passed by Congress. Decisions about the evaluation of schools and students are recurrently made by government authority and are often not in the best interest of teachers, students, or their classroom environments. What do students achieve from standardized testing? Achievement means something that somebody has succeeded in doing. â€Å"Achievement is more than just test scores but also includes class participation, students’†¦show more content†¦Ever since then standardized testing has been a huge part of education. Teachers across the nation had to teach to the curriculum instead of what they thought the students needed to learn. Nowadays colleges strictly look at ACT and SAT scores rather than classroom grades, because they believe that some teachers grade on a curve and are not giving the students a fair chance. Standardized tests are an unreliable measure of student performance. A 2001 study published by the Brookings Institution found that 50-80% of year-over-year tests core improvements were temporary and â€Å"caused by fluctuations that had nothing to do with long-term changes in learning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (â€Å"Standardized Tests†). Teachers are stressed over if they are teaching â€Å"correctly†. They went to a 4-year college, some even more, to get a degree in something that they wanted to do, either for themselves or for the children, and now they have to â€Å"teach to the test†. Tests can only measure a portion of the goals of education. A pschometrician, Daniel Koretz says, â€Å"standardized tests usually do not provide a direct and complete measure of educational achievement.†(Harris, Harris, and Smith). Standardized testing has many positive effects such as getting used to standardized tests. Some say that they are more reliable at measuring student achievement. Without standardized tests the policy makers would have to rely on tests scored by individual schools and teachersShow MoreRelatedArgument Essay: Standardized Testing925 Words   |  4 PagesStandardized Testing: Good or Bad? If someone was to ask you â€Å"how do you define student achievement?† what would your answer be? Would you say student achievement is measured by state achievement tests? Or would you say that student achievement is too complex a subject to be objectively measured? There are many important skills students must be taught, and we need a way to effectively measure if they are in fact learning those skills. However, standardized tests cannot effectively show the learningRead More The Debate Over Standardized Testing Essay1287 Words   |  6 Pagesclassrooms all across America, students sit perched over their desks in the process of taking standardized tests. As the students take the tests, teachers pace nervously up and down the rows of their classroom, hoping and praying that their students can recall the information which they have presented. Some children sit relaxed at their desks, calmly filling in the bubbles and answering essay questions. These children are well prepared and equipped to handle their tests. Other children, however, sitRead MoreEssay on Standardized Testing in Schools1399 Words   |  6 PagesViews on Standardized Testing Standardized testing has long been a controversial method of assessment in our schools. Such tests are important indicators of student achievement and aptitude. 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Some people view it as the linchpin of serious reform and improvement, others as a menace to quality teaching and learning† (Phelps). A tool that educators use to learn about students and their learning capabilities is the standardized test. Standardized tests are designed to give a common measure of a student’s performance. Popular tests include the SAT, IQ tests, Regents ExamsRead MoreAre Standardized Tests a Valid Measurement of Student Learning?1358 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Standardized testing is one of the most passionately debated education topics in America† (Baxter, pg. 1). They became much more prevalent after the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act mandated annual testing across the United States. Standardized tests are used to assess students and teachers, however some people object the idea that the performance on a single test is a valid measure of what a student has learned, or what their teacher has taught them. In this paper I will argue that relying solelyRead MoreThe Culture of Testing Essays862 Words   |  4 PagesTest day, a day of struggle for American students constantly throughout their academic career. Whether the test be the SAT or an annual state exam, students usually do not seem mentally prepared for the massive task at hand. A test like the SAT could possibly determine the immediate futures of these individuals. However, are these complex assessments successfully examining the academics of the student body? Students should not be evaluated using standardized testing because they do not effectivelyRead MoreStandardized Testing And The School Entrance Examination Board- Or Sat Began1424 Words   |  6 PagesStandardized testing had only been added to America’s public education curriculum when â€Å"the common school movement began in earnest in the 1830s in New England as reformers†¦ began to argue successful ly for a greater government role in the schooling of all children† (â€Å"Common School†). â€Å"By 1845 in the United States, public education advocate Horace Mann was calling for standardized essay testing† (Mathews), because he believed that â€Å"political stability and social harmony depended on universal education†Read MoreStandardized Tests Should Not Be The Only Determining Factor That Student Success And Ability1154 Words   |  5 Pagessystems, students are to learn from their teachers and know when to apply certain skills and to recall information. Standardized test are used to measure and this their knowledge. These results are used to compare students to other students as well as school to school. Standardized test should not be the only determining factor that measures student success and ability. More emphasis should be in developing critical thinking, problem solving skills as a process along with creativity. Standardized testing