Testing: Education and Students Essay

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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 have learned to cut corners to get the most desired grade. When was the last time a teacher asked their student to write an essay using just a pen and paper to properly assess their knowledge? School should be about thinking critically and using what students actually know thus I believe that tests pollute the minds of students nationwide. It is safe to say that nobody enjoys taking tests whether it is an algebra exam, driving test, or an STD test. Although there are many consequences for having tests in schools, there are also positive outcomes as well. Testing is usually accompanied by a set of conventional standards or structure, which provides teachers with guidance for what and when a subject needs to be taught. Without this structure, a fourth and sixth grade teacher could possibly be teaching the same subject. Having this direction also keeps students who move from one school district to another from being behind or ahead a new school (Meador 2011). Those who fall behind are getting the extra help that they need. The US Department of Education stated: "Although testing may be stressful for some students, testing is a normal and expected way of assessing what students have learned (ProCon.org)." Tests can be used to help teachers create learning plans based on the students needs. They are designed to help students improve and assist the educator to conjure up a curriculum that best fits that individual (Munoz 2011). Teachers are responsible for teaching students what is acquired for testing. If a teacher is not up to par and the scores are proving that, that teacher can be penalized for being below mediocre. Because tests are public records, it prevents teachers from sitting back and not teaching their students. Testing helps weed out the subpar teachers to make way for great educators (Meador 2011). Keeping a watchful eye on how schools are educating their students helps motivate teachers to continue to succeed in their teaching. Supporter would say that testing gives students a healthy competitive edge against their fellow student counterparts. This allows students to better themselves in order to rank higher in their class and also gives them more opportunities for better universities and colleges. Students work better when they challenge themselves to achieve a certain goal, like good grades for example (Margie 2012). Healthy competition is apart of life and testing allows students to strive for the best that they can be. There is no denying that testing does have some positive outcomes but the consequences well outnumber the good. Tests cause any subject that isn't math or language arts to be pushed out of the classroom. Subjects like science, social studies and music are sacrificed to make time for more test preparation. The president and executive director of Common Core states,
Subjects outside of math and language arts are actually part of the federally mandated core curriculum for public schools. When other subjects are abandoned, we are denying our students the complete education they deserve and the law demands (Munoz 2011).
Unfortunately testing pushes creativity out of the curriculum and students lose interest in what they are learning as a result. One series of studies found that students that are tested and graded numerically were dramatically less creative than those who were not (Kohn 809). Testing has given way to students who have a reduced quality of thinking. Teachers often
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