Parents get bragging rights. For them, standardized testing is worthless and worse. Top 10 Reasons Why Standardized Testing Is Here to Stay. The testing companies grow rich while the students suffer. But whichever the case, teachers now have an idea how best they would respond to a child’s education needs. Schools located in lower socio-economic areas may not have the funds to purchase these programs as the schools do that are located in higher socio-economic areas. This is perhaps the least remediable aspect of the tests, and for that reason the most harmful. Standardized tests create stress. . Standardized tests are usually developed by pedantic researchers with Ph.Ds in educational testing or educational psychology. Infopreneur. Powered by enkivillage.org. Why Standardized Testing is Bad for Students, Teachers .. and You. At Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington, teachers are refusing to administer the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP). By. 1. Our infographic overview will give you an idea of what the data says, and might even be useful to you as you plan your lessons for the year. If the student were able to draw a picture, lead a group discussion, or create a hands-on project, he/she could show that knowledge. So, again, there isn’t a level playing field. (2013). Okay, so maybe we do need to test kids. It’s wonderful to see all the protests around the country against standardized testing. The "slow learner" … They do not measure the ability to think deeply or creatively in any field. If a student scores well on a test, then it is assumed that they know the material. A student can memorize the material long enough to take the test without really learning and assimilating it. Their use encourages a narrowed curriculum, outdated methods of instruction, and harmful practices such as grade retention and tracking. He also writes that wealthy students also generally have better health and more housing stability than … Standardized tests do not allow for creative but accurate responses to the questions presented. A student who repeatedly tests poorly will be labeled as "slow" or "learning disabled". How often does the real world look like this? Because standardized tests are, by definition, meant to be administered, scored, and interpreted in a standardized and consistent manner, they ignore differences in student learning style and background. Some students thrive on a certain low level of stress, others don't. Cat Lover, Coffee Killer, Health & Fitness Enthusiast. Students are aware that their test scores may affect their future, so some will do whatever it takes to pass them. 5. Because of the importance placed on the standardized test results, teachers spend more time teaching "to the test", rather than teaching a well-rounded curriculum. . Test companies (a multi-billion dollar a year industry) not only manufacture the tests, they also manufacture the courses and programs that can be taken to “prepare for the test.” If you have the money, you can even get special tutors that will help you do well on a test. 11. 10. A survey from 2015 reported that 76 percent of psychologists from New York’s more than 600 school districts claim that state tests caused more anxiety than local tests. If you don’t have the money, and your school is in a low socio-economic area that gets less funding than rich suburban schools, then you’re not getting the same preparation for the test as those at the higher socio-economic levels do. Standardized tests occur in an artificial learning environment: they’re timed, you can’t talk to a fellow student, you can’t ask questions, you can’t use references or learning devices, you can’t get up and move around. And visit my website: www.institute4learning.com. Most of them got the question wrong. While this method of testing can provide value, there are also a number of reasons standardized testing is bad: It can create major stress. Content Manager, M.A. 1 If we do not use standardized tests, how will we know how students and programs are doing? And when stress becomes overwhelming, the brain shifts into a “fight or flight” response, where it is impossible to engage in the higher-order thinking processes that are necessary to respond correctly to the standardized test questions. Science Education. 3. Finally, my most important reason that standardized tests are problematic: During the time that a child is taking a test, he/she could be doing something far more valuable: actually learning something new and interesting! This creates an unfair atmosphere for the students. A student who repeatedly tests poorly will be labeled as "slow" or "learning disabled". Moya is one of the thousands of people who feel that standardized testing is stressful. They don’t need a week of testing in … They were good test-takers but didn’t understand fundamental principles that required a deeper comprehension (the book to read is The Disciplined Mind: Beyond Facts and Standardized Tests; the K-12 Education that Every Child Deserves by Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner, named in a poll as one of the 100 greatest public intellectuals in the world). And yet, even the most hard-headed conservative will say that education must prepare students for “the real world.” Clearly standardized testing doesn’t do this. Prisons come to mind. At their core, standardized exams are designed to be objective measures. Standardized Testing (By the Numbers) by Chris Mumford, Hey Teach! Standardized tests are taken at certain levels, and over that time, educators can see the progress students have made. Extreme stress: Students are often forced to take preparatory courses for standardized tests along with advanced test prep courses, PSATs and more tests. Standardized testing only provides a one-day evaluation for a student. Administrators get funding and avoid harsh penalties by boosting test scores. Why do the tests stay locked in a black box of secrecy? Dave Anderson - November 25, 2014. Share on Facebook. Just as a panel of judges can effectively rate the performance of Olympic athletes, so a trained team of judges can evaluate and assess a student's level of knowledge and ability. What they are trying to do is to create assessment tools that permit someone to make a valid inference about the knowledge and/or skills that a given student possesses in a particular content area. Because teachers know that test scores may affect their salaries and job security, they also cheat (see the best-seller Freakonomics for some interesting statistics on this). A Proposal To End Standardized Testing. They either go into decline or improve tremendously.