By: Akshay Karthik
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a manner that is consistent with all students. The official definition of a standardized test is built on the consistency of a student's knowledge, generally in the form of a bubbling answer. All the questions for all students partaking in the test regardless of race, ethnicity, or the environment. Standardized can range from your mundane school math test to Statewide Tests like the STAAR test or national standardized tests like SAT, ACT, and PSAT. Like in the definition stated above, standardized tests are used to measure a student's knowledge, yet they are have been many critics of standard tests saying that they are "based on the time you study, not the knowledge of a student", while many encourage the use of standardized as it has been prevalent for more than a century.
It's accountable. The most significant benefit of standardized testing is that educators and schools are responsible for teaching students what they must know for these standardized tests. This is mainly because these scores become public records, and teachers and schools that don't perform up to par can come under intense examination. If the teachers or the school overall underperforms, they could face repercussions such as being fired or suspended. It's analytical. With standardized testing, this comparison is possible. For example, public school students in Texas must take standardized tests, allowing test data from Amarillo to be compared to scores in Dallas. Accurately analyzing data is a primary reason many states have adopted the Common Core state standards. It's structured. Standardized testing is accompanied by established standards or an instructional framework to guide classroom learning and test preparation. This incremental approach creates benchmarks to measure student progress over time. It's objective. Standardized tests are often scored by computers or people who do not directly know the student to remove the chance that bias would affect the scoring. Experts also develop tests, and each question undergoes an intense process to ensure its validity—properly assessing the content—and its reliability, which means the question tests consistently over time.It's granular. The data generated by testing can be organized according to established criteria or factors, such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and special needs. This approach provides schools with data to develop targeted programs and services for improving student performance.
Despite the positive effects of standardized testing, it also has unintended consequences. The test is inflexible. Some students may excel in the classroom yet not perform well on a standardized test because they're unfamiliar with the format or develop test anxiety. Family strife, mental and physical health issues, and language barriers can all affect a student's test score. Many critics say that standardized testing doesn't consider a person's situation, yet some may disagree. For example, in the SAT, certain minority groups received a higher curve, whereas competitive groups such as Asians were being curved down due to their excellence. It's a waste of time. Standardized testing causes many teachers to teach the tests, meaning they only spend instructional time on material that will appear on the test. Opponents say this practice needs more creativity and can hinder a student's learning experience. It can't measure actual progress. Standardized testing only evaluates one-time performance instead of a student's progress and proficiency over time. Many argue that a teacher and student's performance should be evaluated for yearly growth instead of one single test.
While Standardized Testing is known to be egregious and menial for those who suffer from mental disabilities such as ADHD and ADD, there are some "crutches" in place for those people. For example, extra time is one crutch where the recipient receives spare time to take tests because sometimes people who have ADHD and ADD take a lot more time to process information compared to those with no mental disabilities. The mundane fill in the blank or the multiple choice can bore a person with ADHD or ADD, often leading their mental strength to deteriorate immensely outside of the test. Experts say engaging in creative activities like writing, drawing, or doing a specific project to demonstrate your learning is better than standardized testing for those with ADHD and ADD. Generally, people with these disorders have much more creativity than your average person as they often "think outside the box". I believe that Standardized Testing should be eliminated or reduced immensely as it doesn't show a person's true intelligence while also being a burden for those with mental disorders.
Bibliography
Meador, D. (2019, June 21). What you need to know about standardized testing. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/examining-the-pros-and-cons-of-standardized-testing-3194596
Standardized test definition and meaning. Top Hat. (2019, September 16). https://tophat.com/glossary/s/standardized-test/
Standardized Testing Pros and Cons - does it improve education?. Standardized Tests. (2022, February 17). https://standardizedtests.procon.org/
Comentários