Standardized Tests: To Evaluate the Academic Achievements of Students Essay

Submitted By 1qwerty6789
Words: 552
Pages: 3
Open Document
Ryan Cox
November 6, 2014
English 101 068
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 used in the field of education to assess the academic performance of students. Two commonly known types of standardized tests in the United States are the SAT and the ACT. The SAT is the most widely used and most heavily researched college admissions test in the country (Caperton).The SAT evaluates skills in vocabulary and mathematics, while the ACT has more to do with a broader range of knowledge and includes additional subjects, such as science.
Research and experience show that standardized tests are generally good at measuring students' knowledge, skills, and understanding because they are objective, fair, efficient, and comprehensive (Walberg). Tests help remove bias that some teachers may show towards students and make the evaluation process more objective. This is commonly achieved by using special automatic machines that score exams. By using these machines, the potential of human error is decreased, or even eliminated.
The exploitation of the system of standardized testing is linked to a number of issues. Many feel that tests do not provide accurate evaluations of a student’s knowledge and learning capabilities. Studies indicate that standardized tests reward superficial thinking and may discourage more analytical thinking (Harris). Besides, the emotional state of students may be weakened due to test-taking; the constant competition may create excessive stress and test-anxiety. A person who gets a poor test score may become discouraged from pursuing additional academic success. Students with disabilities, students with lower economic status and students of different nationalities may even me discriminated against.
Standardized testing is a common method of evaluating those skills to which tests are targeted, which reduces prejudice, bias, or the potential of human mistake.
Show More

Related Documents: Standardized Tests: To Evaluate the Academic Achievements of Students Essay

Standardized Regression Analysis

types of standardized assessments are achievement tests (norm-referenced and criterion-referenced), intelligence test, and diagnostic tests. Achievement tests measure the current level of a student’s performance in a variety of areas (DeVries 2011). Achievement tests are not used to determine what students are capable of; they are designed to evaluate what they know and their level of skill. There are two types of standardized achievement tests, norm-reference and criterion reference tests. Norm-references…

Words 497 - Pages 2

Standardized Testing Pros And Cons

Aloufi Standarized Test Great education leads to great lives; education is the most important reason to developed the countries. Improving the education system in countries is not easy and very challenging. Therefore, some countries use a standardized test to evaluate students and teachers in order to value a school’s achievement. Standardized testing can be several forms of evaluation such as multiple choice, true or false, or open end questions. If students pass the test they will receive their…

Words 677 - Pages 3

The Importance Of Standardized Testing In Education

Standardized testing is supposed to be a method of measuring a child’s academic growth. However, there are a number of problems with the way standardized tests are given. Standardized testing evaluates a student on a certain day, therefore a student could perform worse because of some outside factors. Standardized testing has a “one-size-fits all” mentality, and because of the significance of the results, teachers hinder a students overall learning potential by trying to “teach the test.” Unfortunately…

Words 1113 - Pages 5

The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

heart-thumping atmosphere standardized testing gives to students. Most students experience the overwhelming stress that is brought upon their academic life from SAT, ACT, or any standardized tests. They see them as one of the most important factors for college acceptance. The constant worry that sits on their shoulders will not disappear until testing is over, and there is nothing they can do about it until they hopefully get a letter from their dream college. Standardized testing was first introduced…

Words 1189 - Pages 5

Against Standardized Testing

Standardized testing is a topic that has been around for many years and has been implemented in schools since the mid-1800s. People have always questioned whether standardized testing is improving education in America or if it is making it worse. Organizations have been created to provide their insights on standard education and how it has affected student progress, in order to make a change. The US Department of Education and FairTest, also known as National Center for Fair and Open Testing, are…

Words 1193 - Pages 5

Standardized Testing Flaws

educational system, standardized tests may be regarded as an essential instrument, and both student achievement and college readiness may be measured through them. But the truth is, the mask of impartiality underneath its cover is increasingly being threatened by the limited range of classes that it represents. In this essay, we discuss important problems with standardized testing, including the fact that it does not evaluate critical skills that are needed not only for academic development but also…

Words 1967 - Pages 8

Troops To Teachers

article, “The Impact of Troops to Teachers Participants on Student Achievement.” This article focused on the Troops to Teachers program in the state of Texas. Troops to Teachers is a U.S. Department of Defense program that helps eligible military personnel begin a new career as teachers in public schools where their skills, knowledge, and experience are most needed. This study was used to evaluate the program as well as some of the students who had teachers who were participants of TTT (Troops to…

Words 590 - Pages 3

Standardized Testing In America

Standardized Testing in America Since the 1900s left its mark on the education system, standardized tests have been given to evaluate academic performance and achievement. They are one of the largest determining factors to college acceptance. The tests are just a number of obstacles toward the college reach. However, standardized tests do not properly evaluate a student’s academic learning or predict success. The standardized tests simply do not work for many reasons. One example would be that the…

Words 1396 - Pages 6

Essay Against Standardized Testing

When contemplating about whether standardized tests are legit or not students constantly ask themselves, what do these test actually show? That a person can correctly fill in or guess bubbles on a multiple choice or true/false test? Or having the skill of being able to clearly express yourself in writing prompts, with no errors? In all honesty and actuality, standardized tests only prove who is better at test taking, it does nothing to prove someone's intelligence, critical thinking, creativity,…

Words 702 - Pages 3

The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

Success? People tend to compare themselves to others. One of the most common ways is using intelligence testing. These standardized tests are thought to evaluate and predict an individual’s intelligence compared to their peers. Sometimes individuals confuse these results with an individual’s ability to be successful. However, intelligence testing are not able to fully evaluate an individual’s overall intelligence, so they absolutely cannot predict an individual’s capacity to succeed. Understanding…

Words 1391 - Pages 6