Standardized testing has become the focus of modern school reform since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind law in 2002 (Evans 1). The act was designed to hold all public schools to a high standard of education, measured by the results of students’ test scores on statewide standardized tests. Not all students are good test takers, and not all careers require the ability to take traditional tests in order to be successful on the job. A significant number of students nowadays would care much about standardized tests. This is because students feel like they must worry about a test which directly affects their grades and ability to learn. Standardized tests place a heavy weight on students that can lead to stress, take up instruction timing, and students won’t be able to learn anything from them.…
Colleges and universities take into consideration a number of factors when determining student admissions and eligibility. One such measure is the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Widely thought to be a reliable predictor of student success at the college level, the SAT has been a vital component of college admissions for nearly a century (Lawrence, 2003). While the SAT has long been presumed a generalized test, evidence indicates that cultural and test biases may play a role in the performance scores of certain minority test takers (Cablas, 1991; Wainer, et al., 1993). This presents some problem since the SAT is supposed to provide an “even playing field” for all prospective college freshmen. This paper argues the position that, while the SAT has been a relatively capable predictor of college success, it does appear flawed in important ways, leaving some doubt as to just how generalized it truly is for minorities. It is proposed that amendments be made to the current SAT in order to account for these potential biases.…
In the United States, standardized testing is used to measure how knowledgeable or unknowledgeable a person is in a particular subject. According to the Council of Chief State School Officers website, standardized tests are defined as “a testing instrument that is administered, scored, and interpreted in a standard manner. It may be either norm-referenced or criterion-referenced” (Council of Chief State School Officers). I believe that this method of testing is not an accurate way of measuring ones knowledge for it is biased towards certain ethic groups and creates unneeded stress for students. This style of testing is biased towards certain ethic groups and cultures because it measures all students on the same level. Different cultures have different ways of thinking or perceiving things, therefore all cultures should not be tested on the same level. Not to say that one culture should be tested on lower level or scale, but a student who was raised in America and one who was raised in France will obviously have differences such as language or social beliefs. According to my psychology textbook, “the impact of experience and cultural values can extend beyond particular items to a child’s familiarity with the entire testing situation. Tests underestimate a child’s intelligence if, for example, the child’s culture encourages children to solve problems in collaboration with others and discourages them from excelling as individuals” (Kail & Cavanaugh).…
Since being implemented into school curriculum more than fifty years ago, standardized testing has become the most prevalent form of comparing and ranking students across the nation and around the globe. Although standardized testing occurs in the majority of first-world countries around the world, The United States has received the brunt of public criticism for their overuse and excessive difficulty of the tests. Most American students begin state-wide or nation-wide assessments in elementary school and continue all the way through junior high and high school, culminating with perhaps two of the most well-known standardized tests, the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing (ACT). The tests can cause severe stress and…
By going test-optional schools appear to be concerned with diversity, but may have no altruistic intentions whatsoever. Opponents believe schools are adopting test-optional policies to improve their reputations and their ever important college rankings. Generally, schools see an influx of applications ranging from a 10 to 30 percent increase, which allows schools to reject more students and raises their perceived selectivity in its admission process. Additionally, only students who score well on their SATs will opt to submit their scores. This increases the school’s average SAT scores and improves national ranking. Although most test-optional schools do see a rise in socioeconomic and racial diversity, there are a number of schools whose diversity ratios haven’t changed much. A study by University of Georgia in 2014 showed that test-optional policies enhanced selectivity rather than diversity. The study analyzed 180 test-optional liberal arts colleges over a two-decade period. In the study, test-optional schools did receive more applications in general, but this did not equate to greater diversity (Belasco, Rosinger, Hearn 10-13). Regardless of the schools’ motives, test-optional policies as a whole are helping some students attend and graduate from their chosen university, and should be a welcome advancement to admissions policies. Nevertheless, the SATs are here to stay, as colleges who are “test-blind” (currently just Hampshire College ignores all SAT scores) rather than test-optional, are punished by losing their national ranking and labeled as…
III Majority of schools and scholarships that are in major competition for students to get accepted into hold the an applicant’s SAT score extremely high and for those students who were not able to make an outstanding score on the SAT are not able to receive assistance for their future.…
Standardized tests have existed in America since 1800s. The tests are ubiquitous attempt to measure students’ performance based on his or her ability to come up with a singular answer to multiple choice questions. A major problem with this is that all students learn differently and their ability to take the standardized test is not a valid representation. The “No Child Left Behind Act” caused a surge in the amount of standardized tests required throughout the nation. The results of these standardized testing showed that America was in the 31st position in the world in the level of education. This is reflected in our school system, which is most likely caused by the misunderstanding of the standardized testing. Standardized testing limits…
Standardized testing is very frowned upon by students my age, but I do not think they are that bad. I understand all of the positive things that standardized tests bring; from seeing how smart one is compared to the rest of the country at their age level to letting teachers know what they need to elaborate on the next year. Standardized testings also keeps schools and teachers accountable. Yes, standardized test do have their negatives, but overall I believe that tests are a good thing.…
My current event talks about how the state of Florida will soon decide how students will be evaluated based on controversial FSA (Florida Standards Assessments) test scores. The test is being criticized by teachers and parents in Florida. I definitely think that the standardized tests are way too hard. I have many friends that had good grades throughout their school year and had a bright future ahead of them but because they didn’t pass the test, they were unable to graduate, which I think is very sad. I was lucky enough to pass it finally in my senior year the FCAT. I always been good in reading class and I love reading and took me around 3 times to pass the FCAT reading. I think the passing scores are way too high for all standardized tests…
The chief problem with U.S. schools apparently isn’t high dropout rates or underqualified teachers but standardized testing. This is the only conclusion that can be drawn from the push by parents and teachers in Buffalo, Philadelphia, Seattle and elsewhere to help students opt out of taking standardized tests.…
In today’s world, there are many social issues that are present. My group has decided to take action against one of those social issues. In particular, the social issue of standardized testing. Examples of standardized testing include the SAT and ACT. It’s a social issue because it affects millions of students every year. It’s a problem because it’s an inaccurate representation of a student’s knowledge. As a result, action needs to be taken to solve the issue. In this case, my group did a social action to raise awareness about the issue. Standardized testing is an ongoing dilemma and needs to be solved.…
The American College Test and Scholastic Assessment Test, commonly known as the ACT and SAT, are both standardized tests used to determine a student's academic knowledge and skills in order to identify which level of colleges and universities they can handle. The ACT Inc. calls their test an indicator of "college and career readiness" and college boards trust their numbers to reflect just that. Although it is known that college admission boards take into consideration many other factors, such as grade point average, extracurricular involvement and class rank when accepting and rejecting applicants, it in inevitable that students are still turned down because their standardized tests reflect that they are not "ready." As a result, high schools all over the nation put great emphasis on these college admissions tests that are administered nationwide to each high school junior. It is true that standardized testing is a method for colleges to rank and then select students by expressing each student's capability as a number. This number is useful because otherwise it would be very difficult to rank such a diverse group of people, each with his or her own strengths and achievements in different fields. Although this solves the problem of having to weigh the significance and precedence of each individual's past…
SAT testing is not an appropriate method of measuring a student’s overall intelligence. This popular standardized test is offered in over 176 countries, including the United States. The SATs can be the deciding factor of college acceptance, making the exam itself too influential on a student’s future. Additionally, the test has been taken advantage of numerous times for higher scores. The legitimacy of the SATs is also questioned with the issue of income inequality. Most students in the 21st century are striving to achieve acceptance into elite colleges; henceforth, a single exam having the power to change one’s future is irrational. Despite these inconsistencies, some argue the SATs provide a cornerstone for the strengths and weaknesses of a student that can be compared to…
Many people struggle on standardized tests because they are long, and stressful. There is a lot of pressure on the students to do well. The scores that a student will get on this test could affect where they go to college, or what job they…
Standardized testing takes a toll on the mental health of teenagers. At most North American universities, one cannot even go about applying without either the ACT or SAT in tow. Thus, comes the massive amounts of preparation that comes along with College Application Season that High School seniors know all too well. This causes a scramble as students feverishly take test after test hoping for drastic improvement in scores. One such University High School senior, Tom Poulis, goes in depth on the subject;…