Standardized Testing In Elementary Education

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The topic in education that I am interested in exploring is “The effects of narrowing the curriculum in elementary education.” I taught previously in a school district that I am sure like many where teachers were basically forced to narrow the curriculum in order for students to have a better opportunity to pass standardized tests.

The impact of teacher accountability and standards has changed over the years. There is a considerable amount of pressure on students and their teachers to pass standardized tests. Most states have adopted common core standards. These standards are more rigorous, comprehensive and measurable for testing. Recent changes in the way standards are taught leaves teachers in uncompromising positions. Teachers are instructing …show more content…
I know that this has negatively impacted the education that students received. When teachers narrow the curriculum they spend an allotted number of time on certain standards, whether or not the students have grasped the concept because they have to move on to the next standard.

The American education system relies on data from standardized tests to measure student achievement. This can be linked to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The ESEA required states to observe and assess the educational progress of students. The ESEA has been reauthorized and now is known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. NCLB is a part of the “standards-based” reform movement. The standards-based reform is composed of content standards—in math and reading. These content standards are to help improve student learning and provide a more in depth way to teach to the curriculum. Narrowing the curriculum stems from the desire to engage students in core standards in ways that they will not only retain the content, but complete standardized assessments with high accuracy. The accountability push has left teachers focusing on subjects being assessed that reflect on the teacher, the student, the administration and the district as a whole. Therefore, narrowing the curriculum by tailoring it to a test diminishes time for teachers to teach any other subjects such as social studies, writing and other activities that would be helpful to
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