Arguments Against Standardized Tests

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Are Standardized Tests an Accurate Indicator of One’s Abilities?
What exactly is the point of standardized tests? From a student’s point of view, the standardized test is given by teachers to be used as a way to submit their students to a whirlwind of stress and misery. From a teacher’s perspective, tests such as the ACT can be used to accurately determine whether their prospective pupils are ready for the world of college academics; from a boss’ eyes, a test can be used to determine a person’s ability for a job. The fact of the matter is, standardized tests can be used as an indicator of an individual’s ability for a job or can even be used to determine whether or not a student is ready for college. Standardized testing is not only just used in the world of academics. For hundreds of years, the standardized test has been used throughout the world for a variety of purposes. Standardized tests have been found to be used as early on as Imperial China, in which they were able to assess an individual’s eligibility for government positions in the ruling class (Are Standardized.. Par.6). That’s not the only case where a society used a test to decide if one was qualified enough to earn a job; the United States military used mental tests in …show more content…
Critics believe that the multiple-choice tests are “too simplistic” (Are Standardized.. Par.18). With multiple-choice testing, a student can simply make a “lucky guess” so to speak, and answer the question correctly without having idea what material the test covers. These same critics suggest that standardized tests contain more “open-ended” questions; this means the question given is answered by the test taker writing a short response with their answer along with supporting details for their answers. This type of question demands the student to fully grasp and comprehend the concept that was

Standardized Tests: To Evaluate the Academic Achievements of Students Essay

Evaluation Essay Standardized tests are a common way to evaluate the academic achievements of students, teachers and school districts. They are used in countless areas such as civil services, the military, and medicine, but mainly standardized tests are associated with academic performance. Several arguments in favor of these tests have been put forward as well as a number against. This method of monitoring and evaluating academic success has both benefits and drawbacks. Standardized tests are generally…

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Example Of Standardized Testing

Standardized Tests “About 16--20% of students have high test anxiety, making this the most prevalent scholastic impairment in our schools today. Another 18% are troubled by moderately-high test anxiety.” states the American Test Anxiety Association.That number is incredibly high. As a student goes up to pick up their pencil, a wave of nerves fly onto them and test anxiety kicks in. Test scores can make you lose confidence and are not a suitable showcase of a student’s intelligence . But, what do…

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Standardized Test Scores

Eliminating Use of Standardized Test Scores “Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted” are the wise words of Albert Einstein. The exams do not account for all factors, and the points counted don’t show the whole picture. Some say the tests are a reliable approach of evaluating the knowledge students know, consequently, it doesn’t, because the test results will vary day to day. The TIME magazine article, “Why it’s Time to Get Rid of Standardized Tests,” by Noliwe…

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John Oliver Standardized Testing

on standardized testing struck a chord with me, it reminded me of one my favorite quotes by Albert Einstein, it goes “everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb trees, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid”. I definitely agree with Oliver’s perspective, especially his points about the undue stress these tests cause and their questionable efficacy. Reflecting on my own experience, I recall the immense pressure and anxiety leading up to standardized tests, which…

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Synthesis Essay

Really Get From Standardized Tests? The world today revolves around the level of education a person receives. So most people have to go to college if they want to get a decent paying job. However, what is most troubling is how students are selected to be accepted into a college or university. Most college’s selection process is based on how well a student does on the SAT or ACT, standardized tests. Are these tests improving a student’s ability to learn though? To pass one of these tests, all someone…

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Standardized Testing In Schools

the majority or almost all of my time studying, and becoming a constant in my public education career. Throughout most of my time in school I have a very fond memory having to take tests, and it sounds rather normal because all students do it but I’ve never felt as though I performed exceptionally well on these tests. I always knew I’d have to do it, for the sake of it being a requirement. For things such as frequent assessment exams for my math classes where teachers and the state could recognize…

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Standardized Testing Argument Analysis

the stress of standardized testing on students and how it is effecting the students differently in the classroom. They cannot come to a conclusion on if standardized testing is beneficial or not. One example is a story by Ankur Singh illustrates this problem. She claims that in her AP classes they “focused on college preparation and standardized tests rather than genuine learning” (Strauss, “One Teens Standardized”). She explains that maybe if the student body is against standardized testing then…

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Arguments Against Standardized Testing

and children love to rant about how bad standardized testing is, and for good reason. Standardized tests such as the SBA (Smarter Balanced Assessment) have been around in most states, including Washington State, since the spring of 2015. Each year, students in grades 3-8 and 11 take two tests, a literature test and a mathematics test. The literature test consists of analyzing passages, answering questions, and even writing an essay at times. The mathematics test simply provides a long array of multiple-choice…

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Testing: Education and Students Essay

The Worth of Testing Tests are designed to calculate a students’ performance in a classroom setting and their intellectual standing point on a particular subject. There have been many debates on whether or not the testing system is an accurate depiction of the success of a student. Students’ minds are cluttered with thoughts about how to increase their chances of getting that “A” instead of thoughts about how much they can learn from the class. Rather than learning about a specific subject, students…

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Education Essay

future. Standardized tests are supposed to give colleges a yardstick to compare students for entry. However, that is not the case. Standardized tests (SAT’s) are not a good measure of a student’s aptitude because scorers do not actually read what’s written, it is very out dated and students they are biased to students of minorities. “All SAT measures is how well you take the SAT. It does not reveal how smart of a person you are” says Amanda Chan, a junior at Central York High School. The test is designed…

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