Noemy Escamilla

Hackney
English 101: Rhetoric
19 September 2014
Statement of Scope for the Annotated Bibliography
Standardized tests are a routine of the average student. They are considered the
norm by educators and policy makers, but for the students standardized tests mean a
lot more than just a way to evaluate a schools success. In their eyes they are the ones
being judged, and feel as if they are set up to fail. While standardized testing is used to
evaluate students and schools, students self-esteem and education is harmed in
consequence.
This essay will explore how standardized testing harms the students self-esteem
and education. The reasoning behind standardized testing will be explored as well as its
consequences, both positive and negative. I will further explore the harm done to
students by these standardized tests, emotionally and educationally. Lastly, the topic of
whether students are missing out on key components of education because of teachers
teaching to the test will be explored.
This selected bibliography includes sources that address the political and student
perspective on standardized testing, and the error and inequity in these tests. Brimjoin
and Wellstone both address how students are being deprived from a part of their
education as educators adjust their teaching to the test. Crone and Waynes articles
both explain how politicians, specifically presidents, use the scores received from these
tests to formulate an educational plan for bettering schools. Crones article just like
Atteberrys discusses how an error or factor on the test can drastically affect the score
the student will receive, and could in turn harm their confidence. As a group these
sources provide information of some of the negative outcomes of standardized tests,
but not all.

Annotated BIbliography
Atteberry, Emily. "Let's Ditch Standarized Tests." elibrary. ProQuest LLC, n.d. Web. 17 Sept.
2014. Attenberrys article summarizes the reasoning behind a school board wanting to
opt-out of standardized testing for their school. First, giving out standardized tests costs
the school too much money. Lastly, Attetenberry refers to the story of a mother, whose
childs self-esteem was harmed after scoring poorly on a standardized test.
Brimijoin, Kay. "Differentiation and High-Stakes Testing: An Oxymoron?" Theory into Practice
44.3 (2005): 254. elibrary. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. Brimijoins article explores the needs of
students and how tests play a role in their education. The author explains that teacher

instruction is key to the students success, but due to these standardized tests teachers
only teach concepts and no longer get into depth about subjects . Brimijoin also
underlines the importance of taking into account the various learning styles of students.
Crone, Theodore M. "What Test Scores Can and Cannot Tell Us About the Quality of Our
Schools." Business Review - Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia 1 July 2004: n. pag.
elibrary. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. Crone's article warns about the dangers of standardized
testing. Crone begins by giving a summary about how the No Child Left Behind Act
came to be and describes the history that gave rise to standardized testing as form of
school evaluation. The author then goes on to talk about the standard errors of these tests
and the factors that cause the error. Lastly, Crone states that standardized tests do not
fairly show students' abilities.
Wayne, Moore. "Facts and assumptions of assessment: Technology, the missing link." T H E
Journal 30.6 (2003): 20. elibrary. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. Waynes article explores how
political leaders use standardized tests to better education systems. President Bill Clinton
and President George Bush both used standardized tests to plan the education curriculum
for the country. Lastly, Wayne explains how standardized testing has made teachers
begin to teach to the test.
Wellstone, Paul. "High-Stakes Tests Pose High-Stakes Risks for Vulnerable Kids." Roll Call 28
Feb. 2001: n. pag. elibrary. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. Wellstone's article warns about the
dangers of putting too much emphasis on standardized tests. One of Wellstone's main
arguments for going against standardized itstig is that they can be faulty and in no way
are made to measure a student's full knowledge. Wellstone's second argument is that

educators put emphasis on areas and content covered by the test and neglect other key
areas of education like problem-solving, critical-thinking, science, social studies, and art.