...Universities and colleges should use standardized entrance exams to help determine students’ acceptance into their programs because of different grading systems throughout schools and to create academic fairness. Many people believe that all teachers mark the same way, however, this is very wrong. Each school has an individual marking system. Although they might have similar principles, some schools grade much easier than others. For example, in my lifetime I have been to five...
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...The debate of standardized testing has been going on for some time now. A standardized test is any form of test that requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from common bank of questions, in the same way, and that is scored in a “standard” or consistent manner, which makes it possible to compare the relative performance of individual students or groups of students. While different types of tests and assessments may be “standardized” in this way, the term is primarily associated with large-scale tests administered to sizeable populations of students. Standardized tests comprise a very important role in student’s education. Many children will take at least one standardized test every year, which means many teachers will spend significant class time on test preparation. The results can reflection the teachers' efforts as well as that of the students. In some states, standardized tests are the yardstick for determining whether a child gets to progress to the next grade level. Many parents want to know the purpose of standardized tests. The answer is that these tests help evaluate the performance of students, teachers, even whole school districts. The results provide information on a child's ability to learn new material, as well as his grasp of the material he's already supposed to understand. With that information, teachers can identify areas where specific students need more attention, while officials can identify the strengths and weaknesses...
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...Abolishing Standardized Tests Standardized tests should be abolished from schools. Standardized tests, like SOLs, are hurting students more so than they are helping them. These tests put a lot of stress on teachers and students. Test scores are used to show school improvement and how well the school is academically. Schools try to raise their test scores to make the school look better. In order to raise the scores teachers are being forced to teach to test. Teachers are only teaching students what they need to know to pass the test. These tests are forcing a curriculum and that is unfair for both teachers and students. There are many students who want to learn more and there are also teachers who want to teach more and go more in depth in a subject but they are unable to because they are required to just teach them how to pass a test. In class we hear our teacher say all the time, “...but you don’t need to know that it, it won’t on the test.” Many would think that standardized test is helpful to students because the main goal is to pass, and move up a level in school, but in reality students do not benefit from this at all because their sole purpose in learning these specific subjects are only by temporary memory. Standardized tests are so important in a students success in school. Whether or not the pass the tests determines if they pass the class. A student could do really well in class and then fail their test at the end of the year then in turn, fail the class. Not...
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...Abstract Standardized testing does not define ones intelligence or ability. There has always been a quarrel about the tests: students may be very intelligent but are really bad test takers. The No child left behind act was an educational preference forced upon educators that will help them gain an equal opportunity at academic success. The law would promote this through standardized tests. Standardized testing may help students gain wonderful academic success however there are also things that can hinder scholars as well. Standardized testing has its advantages and disadvantages. Over the years standardized testing has been a trending topic, some people are in favor for the test while others are not. How can one test determine an individual’s ability or intelligence when students are people with needs and concerns beyond standardized testing! What is standardized testing? Standardized tests are tests where students answer multiple choice questions where each question only has one correct answer and are usually designed from experience and not theory (How standardized testing damages education ). The tests are based on educational aspects such as reading, math, and science skills (depending upon the type of standardized test being provided). Standardized testing is a law required aspect that is supposed to help scholars academic success and schools expand (with the use of federal funding). Various types of popular standardized test in the United States include Scholastic...
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...and how they are teaching and also helps students focus. Despite opinions on standardized testing that it narrows curriculum, many students are now taking more courses in foreign language and fine arts. (Wolf, p. 693, 2007) Students who know they will be tested on material are more likely to commit to studying the material in depth in order to be prepared. According to Wolf (as cited in World Bank, 2002), “Without regular testing teaching...
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...George W. Bush said in 1999, “I don’t believe in national testing. I believe that local folks ought to develop their own tests and their own standards because I strongly believe in local control of schools.”(website) With the passage of the bill No Child Left Behind in 2002, the Bush administration committed to making children’s education a priority in the new millennium. A standardize test is any examination that’s administered and scored in a predetermined way. With the examination of standardized testing in local schools, the main objective is to see how the national government implemented No Child Left Behind and how it changed education. In 2001, the arrival of George W. Bush administration brought a new education act called No Child Left Behind or NCLB. In NCLB, mandated that each state had until 2005-2006 to develop and...
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...2012 Standardized Testing Standardized testing is a controversy going on right now in our society. This test is a big debate between parents, organizations and teachers. The controversy is that the standardized testing is a narrow curriculum and that it does not show a student’s creative side and their critical thinking. Children grades 2nd thru11th have to take this test, but students from low-income and minority-group backgrounds are most affected by this standardized testing. This test is an unreliable measure of the student’s performance. I don’t agree with standardized testing because I want my own daughter to be seen for everything she is capable of not just what society thinks she should be. I don’t want my daughter to be categorized for being smart or not smart enough. The two sides debating this issue are those who believe standardized test scores provide a way to categorize students and those who believe that the test are not showing the true abilities of the students. The major disagreement is that one says the testing has had a positive effect on students and the other says that it has not improved the student’s achievements. They do share a common goal: to give our children the best education possible. In the 1960’s and 1970’s this testing became a problem because it showed favoritism towards wealthy white people and showed unfairness to the poor and also African Americans. Because of that the testing wasn’t given. Then in the 1990’s...
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...you are born. At only one minute old, you are given your very first standardized test, the Apgar, which rates your activity, pulse, grimace, appearance, and respiration. At five minutes old you are tested again, and if you score between 7 and 10, you are considered normal. As a society, we strive for normal and anything that differs is cause for further scrutiny. When you begin elementary school, standardized testing begins. In kindergarten, my numbers and scores fell into the “below normal” range, so I was flagged for more in-depth testing. The long process of public school educational evaluations and scoring began. But ultimately, what would these scores and numbers mean for me and my future? It meant that I would have to work harder to succeed. Because some things are more of a struggle for me, it only makes me more determined, and more imaginative in the solutions I find to the problems that I face. With hard work and perseverance, I’ve progressed from an elementary and middle school student...
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...Standardized Testing: Debunking the Myths Trestin M. Holmes Wiley College ENGL 1302 08 OL-English Composition Dr. Don Lawson November 17, 2014 Abstract The purpose of this research is to thoroughly examine the myths and preconceived notions pertaining to standardized testing and compare it with factual evidence. The criteria that will be used to accurately analyze this study will consist of evaluating the overall effectiveness of standardized testing in terms of student achievement, estimating how much of a financial burden standardized testing has proven to be in past years, and observing the adverse impact that standardized testing has had on children from a statistical & realistic standpoint. This will undoubtedly give insight on how much of a detriment standardized testing is in today’s society. Standardized Testing: Debunking the Myths What is Standardized Testing? A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner. Any test in which the same test is given in the same manner to all test takers is a standardized test. Thesis Standardized tests have been a part of American education since the mid-1800’s and its use has skyrocketed since the induction of 200’2’s “No Child Left Behind Act”...
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...Standardized Testing The world is getting less intelligent, in regards to grammar and speech. The invention of spell check and grammar check has diminished the importance to properly learning grammar and punctuation. Students aren’t as worried about sentence structure or grammar because Word programs have built in features to correct them. Their papers are spelled properly, sentences properly structured without even realizing there was a mistake to begin with. It has defeated the purpose of a rough draft, if the first version of the paper is “perfect.” And annual Standardized testing was mandated in 2002 after the No Child Left Behind Act, when US students fell in math and science in world rankings. These program features and tests contribute to the students’ decline in a number of ways. By offering “multiple choice”, students’ understanding or ability to properly structure a paragraph or an entire essay isn’t being tested, their ability to recall information is. While being able to memorize things is helpful, it’s of no help long term. English and composition classes in higher education institutions will expect students to be able to demonstrate their understanding. “State assessments in mathematics and English often fail to capture the full spectrum of what students know and can do…. Students, parents, and educators know there is much more to a sound education than picking the right answer on a multiple-choice question” (Problems with Standardized Testing). Students are being...
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...Standardized Testing To write a good informative paper, writers need to have three basic criteria in their paper: examples, statistics, and credibility. Right now the big concern in the education system and amongst school administrators deals with the issue of standardized testing. In Don W. Hooper’s 2001 paper on “Accountability for Student Success” published by the American Association of School Administrators, he states that if planned properly the accountability system can greatly improve education. Later in time Childhood Education published Bobbie A. Solley’s 2007 paper “On Standardized Testing: An ACEI Position Paper” which states that the test only focus on what they need to know for the government test instead of actually learning critical thinking and problem solving. Hooper and Solley explain their viewpoints on standardized testing and whether or not it has positive or negative effects on students learning ability. The first type of criteria is examples, which helps with showing that the writer knows what he, or she is talking about. This is important because with evidence the reader knows that some of the paper is actually true and not bias information. In Hooper’s paper he claims schools would fail if they did not have standardized tests. In his second paragraph Hooper gives two scenarios between two different students. The first student is in a relaxed environment were they do not really know the objective, but as long as they pass the test made by...
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...Standardized Testing Standardized tests are very common throughout the United States. They are used to measure students’ academic performances in school. These tests vary from state to state in all grade levels. However, these tests are believed to be biased towards those students who come from higher-class neighborhoods, simply because they have more educational resources. I don’t believe that standardized testing is a good idea for many reasons. Standardized testing assesses students, teachers, and the school itself, which puts a great deal of pressure on the students. In classrooms all across America, students sit perched over their desks in the process of taking standardized tests. As the students take the tests, teachers pace nervously up and down the rows of their classroom, hoping and praying that their students can recall the information which they have presented. Some children sit relaxed at their desks, calmly filling in the bubbles and answering essay questions. These children are well prepared and equipped to handle their tests. Other children, however, sit hunched over their desks, pondering over questions, trying to guess an answer to choose. High scores show that the school is effective in teaching students, while low test scores make teachers and schools look as though they are not teaching the students properly. This is not always the case. There are teachers who do teach students what they need to know to pass the test, but their students are still unprepared...
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...over the United States, students prepare for standardized tests that can potentially determine which university they attend. Standardized tests are designed to evaluate students on specific skills and knowledge they should have acquired throughout their educational career. Schools are beginning to focus all their attention on making sure students get their desired scores on these standardized tests, that they have stopped teaching them to actually learn and comprehend the information. These exams don’t accurately determine how smart or how ready these students are for college. Colleges look at scores and consider it a major factor to getting into the perspective school. Some schools also look at the students GPA and extracurricular...
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...Results of Standardized Tests The main purposes of standardized tests are to maintain an equal education level across the country and have that level increase to better compete against other nations across the globe. In order to compete with global averages, it was believed that standardized tests were the most effective way in increasing the United States average. Therefore, a country heavily adopted in testing students with these standardized tests should have a steady increase in educational levels throughout the years, yet results show a different story. As a matter of fact standardized tests have not shown a beneficial increase in test scores but rather a slow but steady decrease in scores for some students. With these results in mind,...
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...that the greatest challenge schools are facing today is the stress of standardized testing. Standardized tests were put in place to set higher goals for schools and their teachers. This idea is a positive one, but not when it puts too much pressure on administrators, teachers, and students. The scores schools achieve on these exams determine how much government funding they are able to receive. This only leads to a harsh and stressful learning environment. The multiple choice layout of these tests cannot determine what a child knows or what kind of education he or she is obtaining. Teachers are beginning to base their lesson plans around these tests and taking extra classroom time to discuss correct test-taking skills. This change results in the loss of creativity and variety that makes learning enjoyable for students, as well as their teachers. Many schools are removing art and music classes from their curriculum to create more time for the subjects students are going to be tested on. The additional time added to cover test material takes away time for hands-on activities that involve critical thinking skills. Some educational reformers suggest asking questions on standardized tests that can be answered without limits, so each child can express him or herself....
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