Standardized Testing - Research Paper Example

Standardized testing- Cons Introduction It is widely believed that educating our children is our top most priority, yet there are many problems seen in the education system, whether it be the money spent annually per student or the standardized testing (Assessor, 2011). For years the state and the national governments have been using the various types and levels of standardized testing. These tests are used to measure the level and status of the student’s learning. It measures what the students have learnt and how. The system of standardized testing was introduced in the era of the World War I. since then it has been a debatable topic. It has become one of the most controversial topics in the education field where educationists have presented different views about this type of testing. Initially, the standardized testing was used to enhance the thinking skills and was seen as a way to expand the education system, but as soon as this type of testing became a persistent aspect of higher education, the educationists criticized it, and argued that this is not the basis of education. A standardized test is measured and administered in a consistent manner. It usually comprises of multiple choice or true and false questions, it does not encourage critical thinking or analytical study, and rather it repeats the same mindless facts. The standardized tests are needed by schools in order to meet their federal funding. When a school knows that some percentage of their students needs to pass the standardized test in order to ensure their funding, they give this test immense importance (Downing and Haladyna, 2006). There are test curriculums given to the teachers which include the basic and important items that are featured in this test. According to that, the teachers have to plan their lessons. There is further pressure to get all the material that is needed in order to introduce to the class before the test so that any confusion or trouble of the student can be resolved (Downing and Haladyna, 2006). This system is at times referred to as the system to test the progress made by the teachers and school management rather than addressing to the students’ abilities and learning (Assessor, 2011). Educationists have long debated on the fact that whether standardized testing is fair. Standardized tests are hence, referred as unfair and unhelpful evaluation tools. In these exams, all the questions are either multiple choice or true and false. All the test takers answer the same questions on the same conditions. These tests reward to quick answers and usually ignore the abilities of thinking deeply or creatively. This test however, encourages narrowed curriculum and outdated methods of grading and evaluating. Standardized tests are not objective, and the only objective part of these tests can be the score when it is done by the accurate programming machine. Otherwise, the questions chosen, the items included in the test, what are the correct answers, the administration of the test and the uses of the exam results; all is done by subjective human beings. The question usually arises that are these test results reliable. When the scoring is done by the accurate programming machine, they are reliable. In other cases, when the score of the same student is matched every time he takes the test, it can be considered reliable. However, in most cases, these results can vary according to the condition and the mental state of the student taking the test. The standardized tests do not reflect the current knowledge of the students and the ways in which they teach (Herman, 1993). This is one of the major issues related to the standardized tests. Where the education system has enhanced and improved the techniques, standardized testing has remained the same. This increases the gap between the current education system and the standardized testing types. The test makers make sure that the knowledge is separated into bits and then people would learn by absorbing these individual parts. However, they forget to consider that this method has been obsolete, now people learn through connecting what they have already learnt with the new things that they are about to learn. If they do not make the meaning out of what they are learning, they simply do not learn. Furthermore, the technique of questions particularly the multiple choice and true and false questions fail to examine the students’ mind and the basis of learning. The students find it difficult to comprehend the complex material and the weak measures of enhancing learning skills. They do not assess the knowledge of the students, their exposure, their practicality and social concepts. Moreover, the scores of the standardized tests are also not useful for the teachers. Teachers have regarded these tests as useless in relation to the classroom abilities of the students. Teachers can not assess what to do next as they do not know what the students’ learning position is. These tests do not measure how much the students have taught (Herman, 1993). Though, a good evaluation of these tests could have been much more helpful than these scores. Despite the inaccuracies, limited ability to measure students’ learning and the other flaws that standardized tests have, schools and education systems use these tests to determine whether the students are ready for school, they qualify for the learning abilities; they promote or retain, or graduate. Many of these important decisions about the students are still dependent upon these tests (Kohn, 2000). Schools also use these tests to illustrate the curriculum and the methods of teaching. These tests and no other test are suitable to measure the ability of the student for important educational decisions. The readiness tests that are used to determine whether the child is ready for school are very inaccurate. They encourage the inappropriate schooling methods and the schooling not appropriate for the intellectual or social development of the child. Screening tests are used in order to analyze whether the student has any disabilities because of which he may not be able to further educate in a proper school. These tests usually result in the student being sent for special programs rather encouraging further diagnosis that could be done. These also promote the view of children having weaknesses rather than highlighting the strengths. Tracking can also hurt the students who are slow as it defines the progress of the students and the ones who are slow are left behind. Retention in grade is always considered as harmful and not helpful as it leaves the student behind. It is academically and emotionally hurtful for the student. Thus it can be seen that the test method is usually a very poor way in which the student’s learning and position can be analyzed (Kohn, 2000). No test is good enough for determining the curriculum content and enhancing teaching methods. The test-makers and educationists fail to understand that the group who is most hurt by these tests and practices are the students. The students who are slow, who were under pressured, who got nervous, who belong to the low-income groups and the ones facing any kinds of problems are the ones who are deeply affected and hurt by the use of these tests (Reddell, 2010) . In place of these tests, the students must be given the exposure to the challenges to read, evaluate, analyze, explore, investigate and think rapidly. In many areas, the standardized tests have become the single most important indicator of school’s improvement. This results in school management and teachers in making increased efforts to ensure that the test results are high. Thus, the school changes the curriculum and brings it up to the standard of the test; this changes the planning done by the management. It also enforces the teachers to change their ways and methods of teaching. The teachers have to fold their teaching methods in a way that matches up with the format of the standardized test. The changed curriculum and methods of teaching does not necessarily mean that there is an increase in the student’s knowledge and abilities. Teaching to the test means, in this case, that the teachers will specifically focus on the issues that are likely to be included in the tests. However, teaching according to the multiple choice format means that the students learn test-taking skills. Their test scores may be good but this does not mean that their academics and knowledge has increased (Herman, 1993). This method of teaching narrows the curriculum and forces the teachers to focus more on the memorization of facts, instead of developing understanding. A student’s knowledge and education can not be based upon the results of reading and mathematics skills that are emphasized in these tests. Determining the child’s education on these tests means ignoring the quality and importance of other subjects such as humanities and social sciences, and solely emphasizing on mathematics and reading. These subjects are not enough to determine the child’s knowledge and learning skills. Developing a comprehensive testing plan which includes all these subjects with understanding would be a good way to assess the student’s knowledge (Reddell, 2010). There can be better ways to assess the abilities of a student than standardized tests. Trained and professional teachers can make the use of effective checklists that can be more helpful than a test. Tests based on multiple choice questions would not help more than the tests that are based upon understanding and learning through examples and implementations. Real learning tasks can be provided to the students in order to measure the level of achievement the students are gaining from the class sessions. Teacher’s role is a major one that helps in student evaluation and performance. Teacher’s observation and special attention to every student, with modified teaching methods using examples form practical life is very important. Useful material can also be used in class, given to the parents and to the public as well. Many nations that have been successful in providing education to the students in the well based manner have carried out these techniques rather then the large-scale standardized testing. There are modern ways of teaching and providing education to the students so that they are able to learn and apply in their practical lives. In this way the educationists can succeed in the provision of knowledge to the students, especially high school students. It can be assessed that any sort of tests are proved to be discouraging if they are not enforcing the students to implement their own understanding. A student’s overall academic ability can thus, not be judged by the standardized tests as these tests tend to have many flaws and drawbacks that would affect the students at large. To ensure that the students are getting the best of education in the form of learning and understanding, educationists should not depend on standardized tests. References Assessor, A. (2011). Testing, Privatization, and the Future of Public Schooling. Monthly Review: An Independent Socialist Magazine. Jul2011, Vol. 63 Issue 3, p67-76 Downing, S. M., and Haladyna, T. M. (2006). Handbook of Test Development. N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Haladyna. T.M. (2006).’Perils of Standardized Achievement Testing’. Educational Horizons, v85 n1 p30-43 Herman J. (1993). ‘The Effects of Standardized Testing on Teaching and Schools’. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice. Volume 12, Issue 4, pages 20–25 Kohn A. (2000) Standardized Testing and its victims. Education Week. Retrieved online from http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/edweek/staiv.htm Reddell S. (2010) High Stakes Testing: Our Children at Risk. Online Submission, Retrieved from ERIC database Read More