Controversy over standardized testing sprang up as America’s ranking in education in the world’s system began to falter. The failure of education has been blamed on the increase in usage of standardized tests. This has brought up the issue whether schools should continue the usage of standardized testing because America’s diminishing education is linked to over testing. Although standardized testing has been around for quite some time with significantly increased test scores, the repercussions of continually testing students has degraded students’ abilities of real world application with rudimentary preparations. As students are being continuously tested teachers are obligated to teach students the test. A five-year study that concluded in 2007 indicates “declines in teaching higher-order thinking, in the amount of time spent of complex assignments, and in the actual amount to high cognitive content in the curriculum” (11). The author highlights that teachers feel the pressure to teach students the test in order to have potential growth in their scores. Consequently, teaching the test must take out time of another area thus, time is taken from the development and honing of new skills students learn in the curriculum. However, this negatively affects what students learn as they do not receive the proper education for future classes. The gap in education leads students to play catch-up along with practicing for standardized tests hence, students are left to fend for themselves as they continue forward with their education. Those in favor of continuing the use of standardized testing have just reasoning.
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Why disband a test that is used to calculate growth and placement? Without such testing “policymakers would have to rely on tests scored by individual schools who have vested interest in producing favorable results” (55). The passage exemplifies the need for a broad and generic form of data that is fair and unbiased in both aspects of taking and scoring the test. Nevertheless, teachers should not feel pressured to teach the test to students, while students should not feel pressured to learn skills for the test. In other words, standardized tests should be based on skills that were developed through students’ education, rather than skills they have to develop solely for scoring better on the test. The real growth of a student comes when they are able to incorporate what they have learned into a real life application. Developing students are constantly being withheld from their full potential. Not only in their education, but also in their adulthood as they have not received the proper knowledge. Jiang Xueqin brings attention to how “[c]hinese schools are very good at preparing their students for standardized tests. For that reason, they fail to prepare them for higher education and the knowledge economy” (139). This presents a problem of students that are continually tested missing out on real world applications to stimulate real growth of knowledge.The underlying effect of excessive testing is long term. Without certain skills, that they should have learned instead of testing, these students learn as they go. Resulting in a learn as you go process or a return to college to further their already hindered education. Both of these options take time away from their lives in short, leaving them with less productive lives outside of education. Furthermore, schools should provide minimal testing to provide baseline data to calculate solely for the students benefit. In
Why disband a test that is used to calculate growth and placement? Without such testing “policymakers would have to rely on tests scored by individual schools who have vested interest in producing favorable results” (55). The passage exemplifies the need for a broad and generic form of data that is fair and unbiased in both aspects of taking and scoring the test. Nevertheless, teachers should not feel pressured to teach the test to students, while students should not feel pressured to learn skills for the test. In other words, standardized tests should be based on skills that were developed through students’ education, rather than skills they have to develop solely for scoring better on the test. The real growth of a student comes when they are able to incorporate what they have learned into a real life application. Developing students are constantly being withheld from their full potential. Not only in their education, but also in their adulthood as they have not received the proper knowledge. Jiang Xueqin brings attention to how “[c]hinese schools are very good at preparing their students for standardized tests. For that reason, they fail to prepare them for higher education and the knowledge economy” (139). This presents a problem of students that are continually tested missing out on real world applications to stimulate real growth of knowledge.The underlying effect of excessive testing is long term. Without certain skills, that they should have learned instead of testing, these students learn as they go. Resulting in a learn as you go process or a return to college to further their already hindered education. Both of these options take time away from their lives in short, leaving them with less productive lives outside of education. Furthermore, schools should provide minimal testing to provide baseline data to calculate solely for the students benefit. In