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Standardized Testing: an Ineffective Way to Measure Students’ Intelligence

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Standardized Testing: An Ineffective Way to Measure
Students’ Intelligence

High-stakes testing turns many classrooms and schools into prep centers rather than offering rich, engaging, well-rounded instruction. Rote and narrow instruction bores and alienates students, making them tune out and feel they are little more than their scores (FairTest, 2004). High schools exit exams (FairTest, 2008) push many thousands of students out of school. As a result of these factors, urban graduation rates have decreased. Some students see no realistic option other than dropping out; some are deliberately pushed out or fail the tests. Either way, these young people are much more likely to end up in trouble or in prison. ("How Testing Feeds the School-to-Prison Pipeline") According to Peter D. Hart, a research associate for the Association of American Colleges and Universities, standardized tests unfairly measure students’ intelligence and academic performance. Therefore, the tests must be changed drastically or abandoned completely. Educators and parents have vocalized their view on the rising number of standardized tests the government has implemented in efforts to improve education in American schools. In light of the No Child Left Behind legislation under President George W. Bush, the government administers more and more tests to children, predominantly in lower grade levels ("Standardized Testing"). Along with No Child Left Behind, opponents have shown their disapproval of these "mindless" and "artificial" tests through Fairtest.org, a campaign against standardized testing (Henry). Experts made their stance clear, but are standardized tests truly useless? A Standardized test, defined as, "...any objective test, or combination of objective and performance tests, that yields the same score for the same performance, no matter who is doing the scoring" (Hirsch), the

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