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Abstract
This paper will discuss standardized testing and how it affects students and
teachers. This paper will go on to elaborate of four main questions, which
are: Why are standardized tests used in the school systems?, Who is involved
in standardized testing?, Does standardized testing affect students and
teachers?, and Are there social implications of standardized testing?. It is
important, because this paper is going more in depth on a topic that isnt
explored as much as other controversial topics, it provides information on the
two main people involved (the student and the teacher). I wanted to study
standardized testing, because it is a very interesting topic as well as a topic
that many students who attended public schools were affected by, like
myself.
teachers do not really know what exact material will be covered on the test,
because they do not know what is going to be on the test, teachers may try
to condense material within a short amount of time, which can cause stress
amongst teachers, for example in an article W. James Popham talks about a
teacher who was working in a low-income school, she did not feel that she
was preparing her students for the test they had to take in the Spring, the
teacher had access to a copy of the test, which helped guide her through
teaching her students, because of this the students scores went up, but what
she did was considered unethical (Helping All Students Achieve, 16-20), the
unethical measures that the teacher went to, to get her students to pass the
test were extreme, and could have possibly lost her, her job. The teachers
action can be consider an advantage or a disadvantage, one could say that
what she did can be justified, because she was not telling the students what
was exactly on the test, she was simply guiding them through the test and
helping them to understand key points and vocabulary, or one could argue
that because she took the test she was cheating and not being fair to the
students and other schools, no matter what, what she did was unethical, but
what she did was because she felt the pressure to prepare her students to
pass the test, in the end what she does effects the students.
Does standardized testing affect students?
Standardized testing affects all students throughout all schools. Minorities
and low-income students are being greatly affected by standardized test. Jo
Boaler from Stanford University conducted a researcher project on
mathematics within three high schools. The research team provided the high
schools with a mathematic entrance exam for incoming students, the
students at Railside high school (the low-income school) scored lower than
the other two wealthier schools, but after a year in Railside high school the
students scored significantly higher on the final examination than the two
other schools. When it came to the SAT-9 the students at Railside high school
were at a disadvantage and were viewed as under-performing. (When
Learning no Longer Matters-standardized testing and the creation of
inequality, 502-506). Minorities and language learners in Railside high school
that took the SAT-9 were confused with the wording and vocabulary used
within the test for example: 'A cable crew had 120 feet of cable left on a
1000-foot spool after wiring 4 identical new homes. If the spool was full
before the homes were wired, which equation could be used to find the
length of cable (x) used in each home? (When Learning no Longer Mattersstandardized testing and the creation of inequality, 502-506), this is a test
questions from the SAT-9, it is a very lengthy questions with vocabulary not
commonly used among minorities and language learners in the United
States.
The fact of the matter is that students are being affected by
standardized tests, not only minorities and low-income students, but all of
them. A lot of students no matter what race or gender suffer from test
anxiety, this is defined as a fear of failing that you feel before or while
taking an important examination, such as the SAT, that prevents you from
who contends with stereotypes that question his or her abilities. The
psychological literature has taught us much about how negative stereotypes
can contribute to intellectual underperformance among stigmatized students
(e.g., Steele, 1997; Steele, Spencer, & Aronson, 2002). It has offered much
less, however, about what can be done to lift the emotional tax levied upon
stigmatized students. In this article, we hope to address this shortcoming by
introducing an intervention program designed to remedy stereotype-based
underperformance at a critical period in a students burgeoning academic life
the transition to junior high school. (Improving adolescents standardized
test performance: An intervention to reduce the effects of stereotypes threat,
646), this excerpt from the article, is a perfect example of how stereotyping
takes a toll on students and the way they view themselves.
Conclusion
Standardized testing needs improvement, the research found shows that this
topic is very controversial. The topics discussed in this paper have given an
in-depth look into standardized testing, the questions within the paper
elaborated on four main questions. The four questions allowed the audience
to get a better understanding of standardized testing as a whole. This paper
not only explained what standardized testing is, but also gave the audience
imagery with evidence (quotes,) found in articles and websites. Overall this
paper analyzed standardized testing and the patterns seen throughout time.
References
Boaler, J. (2003). When learning no longer matters: Standardized testing
and the creation of inequality. Phi Delta Kappan, 84(7), 502-506.
Good. C., Aronson, J., & Inzlicht, M. (2003). Improving adolescents
standardized tests performance: An intervention to reduce the
effects
of stereotype
threat. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology,
24(6), 645-662
FRONTLINE ProgramTesting our schools. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/nochild/nclb.html
Popham W. J., (March 2001). Education Leadership. Teaching to the
test?, 58(6).Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/mar01/vol58/num06/Teaching-to-the-Test.aspx
ProCon.org-Pros and Cons of controversial issues. Retrieved from
http://standardizedtests.procon.org/#background)
test anxiety. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24th, 2015, from
http://www.yourdictionary.com/test
anxiety Read more at http://www.yourdictionary.com/testanxiety#kFHtTDM4IUhaTBO0.99