In the 1920s is when standardized testing all began. Back then they used it to see if kids were gonna be “successful” in life or if they were gonna be a little slower. Which if you think about it that is horrible to think about. Looking back researchers realized that standardized testing is not a good way to be able to see what a kid is capable of doing inside and outside of the classroom, instead they realized there are other ways to tell. The reason they think that it needs to be stopped is that the companies that are making the test are making time limits. With these time limits, kids start to get stressed and worry more about the time they have left rather than what they really should be focusing on.
For example, the ACT is a standardized test you will most likely take if you want to go to college. On the ACT they test you over the subjects English, Math, Reading, and Science. So with these tests that take about four hours, they are expecting you to do good on it. I can’t believe they really expect that. Just to make it even worse research shows that having a big test with a time limit does not give effective results.
Another example would be the Iowa Assessments. Do you really try on them or do you walk in and just fill out the answers, so you can be done with them already. Plus with the Iowa Assessments, they stretch it out throughout days. I can see the benefits of it, so it’s not all at once so kids will try, but after the first day, the kids just are done and over the test.
Since corona hit last March they put a stop to these tests for a couple of months. In those months they realized these standardized tests are not very effective. They also realized that a student’s GPA is more reliable and can show what kids are actually capable of doing. So with that being said, they thought about canceling them all in general, but the chances they actually do that are probably very slim.
Should they get rid of standardized tests?? Why or why not…
Do you think standardized tests are effective?
Replies
Great topic choice and well done Dana!
I think standardized tests have both advantages and disadvantages. The tests can be used to show teachers what they need to reteach in the classrooms. Such as if a high percentage of students missed a question about factoring polynomials. They then know what the students don't know or what they need to know.
I think standardized tests are not effective and take too much time. I can’t focus very much when taking them. I run out of time and put random answers, so it’s not really my knowledge. These tests are definitely not accurate for a lot of students. I think going off a student's GPA is more reliable.
I think standardized testing is a very long process and I don't think they are completely accurate. Some of the questions teachers don't even go over those consepts so it's hard toknow hwere kids are truly at. Also some students don't test very well and sometimes have other things going on that their minds are more focused on.
I agree with you that it is a very long process, and somethings on tests we have never talked or even heard about which makes the test even harder.
I don't know if all standerdized tests should be disgared, but there are issues with them. The ACT and SAT are taken to get into college, so they at least have a benifet for the person taking them, and they can be very stressful. However, I loathe the Iowa Assesments each year, and I was so happy when school got out early and we wouldn't have to take them. They are used for getting general data on students, and I haven't seen any personal benifet from them yet. They have helped people get into advanced classes, but why couldn't whether or not someone is qualified for an advanced class be determined by their regular grades? I just don't like doing things that seem to have no purpose, especially if they take up a lot of my time.
I see your point with the ACT and the SAT and how they can be beneficial, but with the ACT I also see nothing that has benefitted me by taking it.
I think that standardized tests have their place when it comes to judging a persons literacy and aptitude for STEM objectives. I do not think, however, that it should be used to decide a student's worth. After all, if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree it will live its life believing itself to be stupid. There are many useful thing that people can do that don't necessarily require you to be able to reliably solve quadratic equations.
I think that standardized tests are helpful, and shouldn't be ended. They allow us to test and make sure that we as students are continuing to learn. I know they aren't fun to take, but they help us a lot more than we think they do. I think they are effective, and that they are efficient at figuring out what's best for students today.
I feel that certain standardized tests can be beneficial to students. However, I think that most standardized tests are pretty much useless. So I think that some standardized tests should be taken away, but some can stay.
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
of 11 Next