Standardized Testing
Why Testing Should Be Removed From the Classroom
More Harm Than Good
The government is rapidly implementing standards of education on both the national and state level. Although these standards are meant to improve the intelligence level in the United States, they seem to be harming the classroom in many ways; children are being tested when they are too young, teachers are being forced to “teach to the test”, and many valuable lessons that were previously learned through the classroom have been lost.
Children Are Too Young
Although testing can be somewhat understandable for high school students, the amount of testing expected from students as young as preschool is outrageous. Teachers from across the nation met and discussed this issue: “Teachers told stories of day-care centers that administered spelling tests to 4-year-olds or expected children to recognize words by sight” (“Kindergarten-Readiness”).
Even Teachers Say "No"
One teacher stated, “I was explaining how weary I was from the political addiction to mass standardized testing and how educationally abusive it had become to so many of the students in my care” (“Teacher”).
Strengthening or Weakening?
President of Learning Matters, Inc. stated, “I believe that high-stakes testing, in its current manifestation, is a serious threat to excellence and national standards. Unchecked, it will choke the life out of many excellent schools and drive gifted teachers out of classrooms” (PBS).
Some People Say . . .
Making a Name
While the United States is a political world power, it is not often seen as a place of producing outstanding intelligent individuals: “Much of the rhetoric about international test score comparisons treats the rest of the developed world as though it were one mythical country that does a better job of educating students than the United States does” (Rotberg).
Not Always What You Think
"Most countries use testing for tracking and for selecting students for admission into academic secondary schools or universities, but generally not for holding educators accountable. Many countries don't even administer standardized tests until the later grades." (Rotberg)
A Final Thought
While standardized testing could be implemented in a positive way, it is currently not being found beneficial. Teachers are continually torn between pleasing the government and creating strong, intelligent individuals; a decision they should never have to make. While there are positives to testing children throughout school, they simply do not outweigh the harm brought to students’ education.