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Standardized testing in no way improves education

Standardized tests have been associated with the American school system since the mid-1800s. They have been known to cause stress and anxiety among many students. But overall, it’s my belief that they also can’t accurately measure students’ performance and improve their achievements. Due to the simplicity of the multiple choice format in standardized testing, students aren’t allowed to think rationally and the test ultimately dulls their creativity.

Standardized testing has been proven to cause a lot of stress on younger students, especially young children. Nearly 700 school districts claim that state tests cause greater anxiety than local assessments. That means that around 19 percent of U.S. school districts have shown they cause anxiety.

Additionally, six out of ten school psychologists have said they increases anxiety, which shows that something needs to change. Students become so anxious that they do everything but focus on the tests. Standardized tests cannot improve students ability to comprehend a subject if they are constantly worrying about the best score results.

These types of tests, such as the SAT, don’t have a positive effect on the students. They don’t expand too much on one subject but focus on important basic skills. Multiple choice questions don’t allow students to think rationally, but instead stunts their ability to think up creative answers.

However, when you regularly incorporate simplicity into tests, students start to adapt to that way of thinking. Making them think more on their own, without multiple choice, makes them have to come up with an original answer. Thinking beyond can help students get better jobs in the future. These tests have much more value than standardized tests, which can in no way improve the education of the modern day student or prepare them for the world we live in.

21 thoughts on “Standardized testing in no way improves education

  • Jared Fleming

    I agree with this article, but while the test cause anxiety how does that affect their ability to remember what they had learned in the classroom.

  • Jean Wong

    I would have to disagree with the author. I think that standardized testing is good way to determine how well a student is doing in the larger scale. In regards to college admissions, standardized tests can determine the placement of a student without being based on GPA (which can be biased based on the student’s choice of classes or the difficulty of a teacher). The SAT or ACT gives a hard score of how well a student is doing and still should be required (even though it may be incredibly stressful).

  • Lexi Brown

    I agree with Milagros 100% . I also believe that ¨Multiple choice questions don’t allow students to think rationally, but instead stunts their ability to think up creative answers¨ because only giving us 4-5
    possible answers does not allow us to think on our own about all the possible outcomes of the question.

  • i agree, testing doesn’t truly show one students true knowledge on what they know because it restricts them with only multiple choice question answers and doesn’t give the student his/her own creative answer plus the added on stress it gives students

  • i agree, testing doesn’t truly show one students true knowledge on what they know because it restricts them with only multiple choice question answers and doesn’t give the student his/her own creative answer

  • Manny Garcia

    I agree, because tests like the SAT are so general and do not really test a students individual abilities as a student. Also they can be very stressful since basically your college career counts on it.

  • Brendon Birky

    I 100% agree with Milagros, I believe that standardized testing does nothing to excel kids in the right direction. To be completely honest when Milagros says the tests don’t “accurately measure students performance.” I completely agree and couldn’t relate more to a student at Castro Valley High than her on this subject.

  • Javier Castro

    I agree that standardized testing causes stress and anxiety to teens before and during the test so our test results don´t show how much we really know

  • Erik Huie

    I agree that standardized don’t help students. Every time that I take the SAT, I always feel stressed out in hoping that I will do good on the test. Then I don’t do as good as what I would like to do. These test don’t help out students get ready to go and join the workforce.

  • Makenna Jackson

    I completely agree. I think standardized testing only tests our ability to take tests. Thanks for bringing awareness to the subject!

  • Daniel Mandujano

    I agree that standardized testing serves no purpose for students academically, its more of how much material you can cram into your memory. Also tests like the SAT are just one of the few ways for the state to see how students work under timed and high pressure situations, which I believe serve no value for high school students.

  • Daniel Mandujano

    I agree that standardized testing serves no purpose for students academically, its more of how much material you can cram into your memory. Also tests like the SAT is just a way to see how students work under timed and high pressure situations which serve students no value. I assumed already that these state test cause large amounts of stress and anxiety but I was surprised by just how many students this really affected.

  • Cece Hurtado

    I agree with this article, especially when she says, ” Standardized tests cannot improve students ability to comprehend a subject if they are constantly worrying about the best score results.” I believe this statement is true and has been proven.

  • Rebecca Lu

    Usually in tests, especially big ones, student cram everything in their brain and forget it right after. What’s the point in the student is just going to forget the information?

  • Terilyn Truong

    Standardized testing caters to people who can afford cram/tutoring sessions and doesn’t actually test students knowledge. I think it doesn’t accurately represent students and is a waste of time and money.

  • Venus Ku

    I also agree that standardized tests don’t allow students to think of creative and original answers, but what’s a better way to educationally test students?

  • Mara Moysen

    While the tests do not test the student overall, they only test how much the student can remember. The students should be tested to rule out their ability but they should also take other things into account.

  • Egor Buzuev

    I did not know most of this information. I am very surprised that 19 percent of the students experienced. I agree with this article

  • Alexis Long

    I agree that standardized tests do not help student. They serve no academic value in my opinion and only serve to cause students anxiety and see how well they handle answering questions under pressure and time limits. I don’t think that they help students brain power or help them learn anything except pressure situations. In my opinion they are a waste of time, effort and money for the school.

  • Marcus soltys

    Test cause stress.

  • Brianna Jarvis

    I agree but it helps rule out students on capability.

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