Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America

The use of the standardized test in the American education system has been in place since the mid-1800s. Since the enactment of the 2002’s ‘No Child Left Behind Act, (NCLB),’ all American students in the fifty states were subjected to annual tests (Elbow, 2006). This says a drop in the world ranking of American students from the 18th position in 2000 to 27th position in 2012. High poverty levels, tenure policies, teacher quality, and, the pervasive use of standardized test have been identified as the main factors behind the failure in the education system (Procon Org, 2016). The use of standardized tests fails to promote innovative and critical thinking among students by promoting a narrow curriculum where students learn for testing.

Analysis has shown that 93% of studies on students testing including the use of large-scale and high -stake standardized tests, had a positive effect on the overall student achievement is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America?

The use of the standardized test in the American education system has been in place since the mid-1800s. Since the enactment of the 2002’s ‘No Child Left Behind Act, (NCLB),’ all American students in the fifty states were subjected to annual tests. This says a drop in the world ranking of American students from the 18th position in 2000 to 27th position in 2012 (Elbow, 2006). High poverty levels, tenure policies, teacher quality, and, the pervasive use of standardized test have been identified as the main factors behind the failure in the education system. The use of standardized tests fails to promote innovative and critical thinking among students by promoting a narrow curriculum where students learn for testing.

Analysis has shown that 93% of studies on students testing including the use of large-scale and high -stake standardized tests, had a positive effect on the overall student achievement (Elbow, 2006). In this view, standardized test induces effort among students to obtain better grades in the annual tests. By doing so, students are motivated to learn hence improving their knowledge base. Considering this view, it is clear that in absence on the annual test, students would not have any motivation to put more effort into learning. This will not only promote reluctance among students but also laziness. In a competitive economy where the education system is required to produce resourceful learners, there is a need for an objective inducement that will promote the need to learn more.

While determining students’ achievement, standardized tests are reliable and objective measures. In the absence of standardized tests, individual test scores by schools would be used to evaluate students. This would bring about unreliability due to the vested interest among teachers who are determined to produce favorable results. Human bias or subjectivity would interfere with the grading of students. This there would lack a reliable measure of students’ performance. Long-term changes in learning among students required by policymakers can be identified through the standardized tests. Individual test scores applied by different learning institutions would only capture temporary improvements among students thus providing little or no assistance to policymakers.

Standardized tests enhance equivalence in the content made available to the students. Thus they are inclusive and non-discriminatory. Learners are subjected to similar learning content where they use their creativity, self-discipline, civic-mindedness, and enthusiasm to produce different results. The use of alternative tests for minorities and students with disabilities would create separate and unequal education systems leading to civil right conflict. Students have varying learning abilities, and use of different measures of achievement that will appeal to the different classes of learners would be discriminatively resulting in an unfavorable balance of the available opportunities.

 The use of standardized tests may, therefore, provide a rational measure of students achievement that is reliable, non-discriminatory and widely acceptable. They promote equality in the allocation of opportunities among learner as well as providing a common base for judging performance. However, this approach may not capture other aspects of learning and may fail to measure qualities such as resilience, empathy, self-awareness, courage, compassion, persistence, honesty, sense of beauty and leadership among students. Standardized tests also fail to recognize the disadvantaged learners who may fail to favorably compete in the learning system due to their special needs. In this view, standardized test induces effort among students to obtain better grades in the annual tests. By doing so, students are motivated to learn hence improving their knowledge base. Considering this view, it is clear that in absence on the annual test, students would not have any motivation to put more effort into learning. This will not only promote reluctance among students but also laziness. In a competitive economy where the education system is required to produce resourceful learners, there is a need for an objective inducement that will promote the need to learn more.

While determining students’ achievement, standardized tests are reliable and objective measures. In the absence of standardized tests, individual test scores by schools would be used to evaluate students. This would bring about unreliability due to the vested interest among teachers who are determined to produce favorable results. Human bias or subjectivity would interfere with the grading of students. This there would lack a reliable measure of students’ performance. Long-term changes in learning among students required by policymakers can be identified through the standardized tests. Individual test scores applied by different learning institutions would only capture temporary improvements among students thus providing little or no assistance to policymakers.

Standardized tests enhance equivalence in the content made available to the students. Thus they are inclusive and non-discriminatory. Learners are subjected to similar learning content where they use their creativity, self-discipline, civic-mindedness, and enthusiasm to produce different results. The use of alternative tests for minorities and students with disabilities would create separate and unequal education systems leading to civil right conflict. Students have varying learning abilities, and use of different measures of achievement that will appeal to the different classes of learners would be discriminatively resulting in an unfavorable balance of the available opportunities.

 The use of standardized tests may, therefore, provide a rational measure of students achievement that is reliable, non-discriminatory and widely acceptable. They promote equality in the allocation of opportunities among learner as well as providing a common base for judging performance. However, this approach may not capture other aspects of learning and may fail to measure qualities such as resilience, empathy, self-awareness, courage, compassion, persistence, honesty, sense of beauty and leadership among students. Standardized tests also fail to recognize the disadvantaged learners who may fail to favorably compete in the learning system due to their special needs.

References

Elbow, P. (2006). The Believing Game and how to Make Conflicting Opinions More Fruitful .

Procon Org. (2016). Background of the Issue. Retrieved from https://standardizedtests.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=006521