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Feb 28, 2024 · Standardized tests scores are good indicators of college and job success. Standardized tests can promote and offer evidence of academic rigor, which is invaluable in college as well as in students’ careers. Matthew Pietrafetta, Founder of Academic Approach, argues that the “tests create gravitational pull toward higher achievement.”
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Analyze Matthew Pietrafetta’s defense of standardized tests....
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According to the Pew Center on the States, annual state...
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- Pros of Standardized Testing
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1. They Help you Track the Progress of Education
Schools need metrics they can reliably use to evaluate students’ progress and see whether teachers are successfully implementing the curriculum. Standardized tests provide a way for school boards and regulatory bodies to determine whether stated educational objectivesare being met according to the grade level. Administering standardized tests on a yearly basis also helps to form a year-over-year analysis of progress made, and introduces benchmarks from which school boards can evaluate whether...
2. They help you Identify Areas for Improvement
Standardized testing brings light to areas of the curriculum that are lacking, and can be used to formulate education plans for improvement in those areas. For example, if standardized tests within a school showed that the average test results in math were below grade level, this is helpful for that school to know they need to improve their math curriculum and teaching. Schools need to understand whether they are meeting their identified learning objectives, and standardized tests offer a way...
3. They Keep Schools Accountable
The value of standardized tests goes beyond that of the individual school, especially when results are used to compare school performance on the national level. When data from standardized tests are generated on a national level, this allows for comparisons between regions and geographic locations, so it’s clear which areas lack in their education and require additional reinforcement. Standardized testing is an instructive way for governments to gain a pulse on which regions are performing up...
1. They are not Accurate Reflections of Student Ability
Lots of students struggle with test-taking and face anxiety when it comes to these types of assessments. Level of stress, mood and emotional state can all impact a person’s ability when it comes to completing these kinds of assessments. As a result, it makes it difficult to know whether these tests are truly reflective of students’ skills and competencies. For students that face greater difficulty with test-taking, it is possible that standardized tests produce inaccurate results which could...
2. They Cause Stress
Standardized testing can be a major source of stressfor students and teachers alike. It’s well-known that many students don’t perform well on tests, however, this doesn’t necessarily mean that these students are any less knowledgeable or educated than the students that do perform well. Standardized tests create performance anxiety, and many students feel overwhelmingly bound by these test scores to get accepted into top schools. Teachers are also indirectly assessed by standardized tests beca...
3. Teachers ‘Teach to the Test’
When students need to prepare students for standardized tests, this can impact the way they teach the course material and it can result in teachers ‘teaching to the test,’ rather than the real goal of ensuring students truly understand the material. Teaching to the test often involves rote learning (memorization of answers) rather than serious engagement with the process of learning. Education theorist Paolo Friere called this the ‘banking model‘, which discourages creative and process thinki...
When it comes to standardized testing, the important thing is that the test scores are not seen as the total picture of a student’s abilities, but rather as part of a broader assessment or understanding. Testing data should be used to gain a general sense of how education is going, and whether learning objectives are being met or not. Standardized ...
Sep 3, 2024 · 3. May Hurt Student’s Self-Esteem. Standardized tests can undermine the confidence of previously successful students. Many experience test anxiety, which affects their performance because the testing environment is so stressful. This anxiety can lead to a drop in self-esteem and overall academic achievement. 4.
Aug 12, 2024 · The disadvantages of standardized testing not only obstructs the potential success of a school improvement plan, but goes against several key aspects of improvement science. 1. Teaching to the Test. The biggest criticism of standardized testing is that it takes the personalization out of student’s education by instead "teaching to the test."
Pros of Standardized Testing in Education: 1. Objective Measurement. It provides an ostensibly objective and uniform way to evaluate student performance. By employing standardized metrics, educators and policymakers gain insights into the proficiency of students across diverse demographics.
Feb 16, 2017 · Through standardized testing, we can identify the areas of an educational system that need to evolve so we can put modern learning opportunities into the hands of our students. Like bringing in low-cost Chromebooks into the classroom on a regular basis. 8. It encourages kids to work together.
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Oct 29, 2014 · Standardized Testing – CONS. Creates major stress for students and teachers. Creates competition between students, schools, districts, etc. that takes away focus from the ultimate goal (student success). Creates disadvantages for students who do not perform well on tests, or do not have background knowledge necessary to complete questions ...
