Stop Standardized Testing

Thinkaboutthis:thereisnotonekidwhoisexcitedtogotoschooltotakeabig
testforawholeweek.Notonlythis,butatestthatcoulddeterminewhetherthestudent
movesontothenextgrade...ornot.Atestthatwillultimatelytelleveryonewhois
smartordumb.But,whathappensifachildistrulyveryintelligent,butisabad
testtaker?Whathappensifastudentissickorishavingaverybadday?These
scenariospresentanunfairdisadvantagetothetesttakers,causingthemunncessary
stressandanxiety,andencourageteacherstoteachtothetest.Whatsworseisthat
thereisvirtuallynothingastudentcandoaboutitbecausethisiswhatsomestateand
educationalleadershavechosentodo.Schoolsshouldstopstandardizedtesting.

Althoughsomestateandschoolleadersfeelthatstandardizetestingisneeded
tomeasurestudentsgrowthandknowledge,standardizetestingcanbeveryunfairto
students.Thewebsite,
www.nea.org
,states,Thetestsaretimed...manystudentsmay
bebright,butdonotgettofinishthetestintime...Kidsdontgetanevenopportunity.
Manystudentsdonotfinishwhentakingtimedstandardizedtests.Whenthishappens,
thetestingcompanytypicallymarksalloftheunfinishedquestionsaswrong.Bydoing
this,thestudentstestscoresarelowered.Inaddition,mosttestsdonotvalue
diversity.Somestudentscomefromdifferentbackgroundsorcultures,differentlevels
ofproficiencyintheEnglishlanguage,differentlearningstyles,differentfamilystyles,
differentpastexperiences,accordingto
institute4learning.com.
Standardizedtests
treatstudentsasiftheyareallequalandidentical.Everyonelearnsatdifferentrates
usingdifferentlearningstylessomearevisuallearners,somearecreativelearners.
Thiscreatesanunevenplayingfieldforthestudentswhentestingoccursusingone
typeoflearningstyle.Anotherreasonstandardizedtestingisunfairisthatitfailsto
capturethefullspectrumofwhatstudentscanreallydo.AnyonecanjustchooseA,B,
C,orDandhavea25%chanceofgettingitcorrect.Choosingoneoffouroptions
takesnoskill,
noskillatall
!Choosingaletterdoesntshowhowintelligentastudent
reallyisitshowsthatthestudentchosethecorrectchoice.Astudentwhoisnot

intelligentatallcouldblindlyguessthecorrectanswerwhileanextremelybrightstudent
whoissonervousaboutthetest,couldmakeasillymistakeandgetthewronganswer.
Testsdon'tknowwhichstudentsearnstraightAs,orwhichstudentsfailtheirclasses.

Notonlyistestingunfairtostudents,butitalsocausesmuchunwantedstress
andanxietytobothstudentsandteachers.Studentsareawareoftheconsequences
forapoorperformancetheycouldbeheldbackfromparticipationinanaccelerated
class,notpromotedintothenextgradelevel,orevenworsealltheirfriendswillnow
thinktheyarenotverysmartordumb.Asaresult,somestudentscheat,orevenstart
takingdrugsjustforatestthatinaccuratelymeasuresastudentsability!Thestudents
aresocaughtupindoingwellonsomestandardizedtestthattheyputthemselvesatan
evengreaterriskbycheatingandtakingdrugs.Thisshowshowstressedordetermined
thestudentsaretodowellonatest.Accordingto
brainconnection.brainhq.com
,Exam
stresscausesdisturbedsleeppatterns,tiredness,worry,irregulareating,infections,and
concentrationissues.Testinghasgoneoverthetopifstudentsarebecomingthis
nervoustotakeastandardizedtest.However,itisimportanttonotethatnotall
studentsgetthisway.Somejustdontcareorhavegivenupafteryearsof
underperformingonstandardizedtesting,butabout89%ofstudentsdogetstressed
out,andthatisoverhalfofstudentswhotakestandardizedtests.Eventeachersget
stressedoutaboutstandardizedtesting.Sometimes,teachersevencheattohelptheir
studentstodowellsotheydontgetabadevaluationorevenworse,fired.
www.newyorker.com
hadanarticlewhereateacher,DamanyLewis,wentthroughhis
studentstestsandchangedtheiranswerssotheygotspectacularscores.Thisteacher
wassonervousforhiskids,andhowtheymayfail,whichwouldcausehimtolosehis
jobthathewentintohisstudentstestsandchangedtheiranswers.Hewasthat
desperate,andthisiswhyhisschoolwasnevergoingtogetpasttheNoChildLeft
Behindactbecauseitwasanimpossiblestandard.Thewebsite,
neatoday.org
,claims,
...amajorityofteachersreportedfeelingconsiderablepressuretoimprovetestscores.
72percentrepliedthattheyfeltmoderateorextremepressurefrombothschooland

districtadministrators.Yes,72%ofteachersarestressedornervousabouttheir
studentsperformancelevelonthestandardizedtests.Still,otherteacherstake
antianxietydrugstohelpthemtonotworrysomuchabouthowtheirstudentswill
performonastandardizedtest.Doesanybodyrealizewhatthesestandardizedtests
aredoingtopeople?

Furthermore,standardizedtestingiscausingteacherstoteachtothetest.The
definitionofteachingtothetestis:Teachingtothetestisaneducationalpractice
wherecurriculumisheavilyfocusedonpreparingstudentsforastandardizedtest...it
forcesteacherstolimitcurriculumtoasetrangeofknowledgeorskillstoincrease
studentperformanceonthemandatedtest,Googledefined.Rereadthatagain.Yes,
teachingtothetestisbasicallyhavingteachersinstructstudentsonmaterialsthey
maynotuseintherealworld,butonastandardizedtestthattheywilltakeforaweek.
Doesthisevensoundlogical?Yes,thismayhelpsomestudentsobtainbettertest
scores,buttheimportantthingaboutschoolislearningthingsthatyouwilluse
throughoutyourlife.Teachingtothetesttakesupimportantinstructionaltimefrom
studentstimestudentscouldactuallybelearningthingsthattheywillapplyinrealworld
settings.Yet,theyarelearningnewwaystomultiplyanddivide,andthesenewways
aretakingevenlongertosolvebecausestudentshavetodrawpicturesanddiagrams.
Whenthesesamestudentsgooutintotherealworldandneedtousemultiplicationor
division,theyaregoingtohavetogetoutapieceofpaperandapencil,draw
themselvesalittleboxandpicturestosolveamathproblem.Thismethodisnot
practical.Itsjustridiculous,andtheyregoingtolooklikefools!Additionally,thereisno
roomforcreativityinteachingtothetest.Studentscantsolvemathproblemstheirown
wayanymorebecausetheydonthavethefreedomtodoit.Theyhavetodrawpictures
anddiagramstoshowtheirwork.Ifschoolsaresoworriedaboutkidsdoingwellonthe
tests,justletthemsolveitthefastestwaytheyknowhowandintheirownway.After
all,therearemultiplewaystosolvingamathproblem,notjustoneway,especiallyone
thatrequiresstudentstotakeanadditionalthreetofourstepstogettotheanswers.


Inconclusion,schoolsneedtostopusingthesestandardizedtests.
Standardizedtestsareunfairtostudents,theycauseunwantedstressandanxietyto
both,studentsandteachers,andtheyencourageteacherstoteachtothetestrather
thanprovidingstudentswithskillsneededforrealworldexperiences.Ifstandardized
testswereeliminated,studentswouldntworrysomuch,andmayactuallylearnthings
thatwillapplyoutsideschool.AstudysaysthatStandardizedtestingcoststates$1.7
billionayear.$1.7billionayear,wasted,todetermineunreliableresults.Isthisreally
whateveryonewants?Tospendsomuchmoneyandcausesomanypeopleso
anxietyandstressoveranunreliabletest?Now,ifyouwouldexcuseme,Ihavetogo
finishareviewpacketformyPARCCtesttomorrowIhavealongweekoftesting
aheadofme.