Running Head: Standardized Testing: Looking beyond the tests

Standardized Testing: Looking beyond the tests

Carly McCool
University of Texas at El Paso Pre-nursing student
RWS 1301 Ms. Gallardos class

Standardized Testing: Looking Beyond the Tests

Abstract
This paper will discuss standardized testing and how it affects students and
teachers. This paper will go on to elaborate of four main questions, which
are: Why are standardized tests used in the school systems?, Who is involved
in standardized testing?, Does standardized testing affect students and
teachers?, and Are there social implications of standardized testing?. It is
important, because this paper is going more in depth on a topic that isnt
explored as much as other controversial topics, it provides information on the
two main people involved (the student and the teacher). I wanted to study
standardized testing, because it is a very interesting topic as well as a topic
that many students who attended public schools were affected by, like
myself.

Running Head: Standardized Tests: Looking Beyond the Tests

Introduction
Standardized testing has been implemented in school systems since 2002.
The idea of standardized testing started from the No Child Left Behind Act
which was enacted when George W. Bush was in office. Testing has changed
throughout the years, schools in Texas used to use a test known as the TAKS
test, but now they are using a test known as the STAAR. Standardized testing
is not just tests like the TAKS and the STAAR, the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and the TSI
are also some other tests that are mandated for students to take in order to
enroll in college courses. Standardized test are very important in students
and teachers lives, due to the fact that these test play an important part in
the educational world.
Why are standardized tests implemented in school systems?
One must question the sole reason why students are being tested in schools,
students get tested because of the No Child Left Behind Act, this act was
proposed when George W. Bush was president in the year of 2002. The goal
of the No Child Left Behind Act is: It dramatically increases the role of the
federal government in guaranteeing the quality of public education for all
children in the United States -- with an emphasis on increased funding for
poor school districts, higher achievement for poor and minority students, and
new measures to hold schools accountable for their students' progress -- and
in the process dramatically expands the role of standardized testing in

American public education(The New Rules,

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/nochild/nclb.html).
One may argue that standardized testing is used in favor of the
students and teachers, and that, that is the reason standardized testing is
used in schools. According to procon.org The US Department of Education
stated in Nov. 2004 that "if teachers cover subject matter required by the
standards and teach it well, then students will master the material on which
they will be tested--and probably much more." (Is the Use of Standardized
Tests Improving Education in America?,
http://standardizedtests.procon.org/#background), contrary to this statement
, according to procon.org; A five-year University of Maryland study
completed in 2007 found "the pressure teachers were feeling to 'teach to the
test'" since NCLB was leading to "declines in teaching higher-order thinking,
in the amount of time spent on complex assignments, and in the actual
amount of high cognitive content in the curriculum. (Is the Use
of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America?,
http://standardizedtests.procon.org/#background), with these statements in
mind one can assume that if the teacher is affected by the test then the
students will be affected as well either in a positive or negative way.
The reasoning behind why standardized tests are implemented in
school systems vary, but one of the main arguments, is that schools need
standards and structure, this is a valid agreement if all states in the United
States had the same requirements, according to pbs.org, The bill specifically

prohibits any "national testing" or "federally controlled curriculum." It is up to

the states to select and/or design their own tests, and to make sure that the
tests are aligned with the state curriculum standards. States will receive
federal funds to help develop their tests, and a "trigger mechanism" specifies
that states are not required to develop the reading and math tests for grades
3-8 if the federal government fails to provide the necessary funding., (The
New Rules,
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/nochild/nclb.html),
because the state has total control over the material on the test, it makes it
more difficult for one to understand how a students test scores can be
compared to other states test scores. Because states differ in content and
material within the standardized tests given to the students, this in return
brings out a lot of questioning to whether standardized tests really are fair,
and also questions the motive behind these tests as well as how these tests
can benefit students and teachers, if the tests are controlled by just the
state.
Who is involved in standardized testing?
An important factor surrounding standardized tests are the people who are
involved. The people mainly involved are the students and teachers.
Students in the third grade are first introduced to standardized test, from
then on the student are required to take them up to high school. Teachers
must guide the students and aid them in the retaining the knowledge
required to meet a passing score, this may be hard due to the fact that

teachers do not really know what exact material will be covered on the test,
because they do not know what is going to be on the test, teachers may try
to condense material within a short amount of time, which can cause stress
amongst teachers, for example in an article W. James Popham talks about a
teacher who was working in a low-income school, she did not feel that she
was preparing her students for the test they had to take in the Spring, the
teacher had access to a copy of the test, which helped guide her through
teaching her students, because of this the students scores went up, but what
she did was considered unethical (Helping All Students Achieve, 16-20), the
unethical measures that the teacher went to, to get her students to pass the
test were extreme, and could have possibly lost her, her job. The teachers
action can be consider an advantage or a disadvantage, one could say that
what she did can be justified, because she was not telling the students what
was exactly on the test, she was simply guiding them through the test and
helping them to understand key points and vocabulary, or one could argue
that because she took the test she was cheating and not being fair to the
students and other schools, no matter what, what she did was unethical, but
what she did was because she felt the pressure to prepare her students to
pass the test, in the end what she does effects the students.
Does standardized testing affect students?
Standardized testing affects all students throughout all schools. Minorities
and low-income students are being greatly affected by standardized test. Jo
Boaler from Stanford University conducted a researcher project on

mathematics within three high schools. The research team provided the high
schools with a mathematic entrance exam for incoming students, the
students at Railside high school (the low-income school) scored lower than
the other two wealthier schools, but after a year in Railside high school the
students scored significantly higher on the final examination than the two
other schools. When it came to the SAT-9 the students at Railside high school
were at a disadvantage and were viewed as under-performing. (When
Learning no Longer Matters-standardized testing and the creation of
inequality, 502-506). Minorities and language learners in Railside high school
that took the SAT-9 were confused with the wording and vocabulary used
within the test for example: 'A cable crew had 120 feet of cable left on a
1000-foot spool after wiring 4 identical new homes. If the spool was full
before the homes were wired, which equation could be used to find the
length of cable (x) used in each home? (When Learning no Longer Mattersstandardized testing and the creation of inequality, 502-506), this is a test
questions from the SAT-9, it is a very lengthy questions with vocabulary not
commonly used among minorities and language learners in the United
States.
The fact of the matter is that students are being affected by
standardized tests, not only minorities and low-income students, but all of
them. A lot of students no matter what race or gender suffer from test
anxiety, this is defined as a fear of failing that you feel before or while
taking an important examination, such as the SAT, that prevents you from

performing as well as you otherwise could on the exam(Your Dictionary,

http://www.yourdictionary.com/test-anxiety), because students are being
greatly affected by the test, many people view the test as unfair and racially
discriminating. The No Child Left Behind Act said that one of its main focuses
would be on the poor and minorities, but with research found from Boaler,
the act very much contradicts that.
Are there social implications of standardized testing?
Members of society have stereotyped students by gender and race. Many
believe that science and math is a male dominated field. Race and wealth
are also a big part of standardized test inequalities. The way society
categorizes students by race and gender creates a sense of low value. The
way society stereotypes race and gender can effect students test
performance, When Neil de Grasse Tyson received his doctoral degree from
Columbia University in 1991 he became the seventh African American
astrophysicist out of 4000 astrophysicists nationwide. In his convocation
address delivered at Columbias graduation ceremonies, he summarized his
life path by noting: In the perception of society my athletic talents are
genetic; I am a likely mugger/rapist; my academic failures are expected; and
my academic successes are attributed to others. To spend most of my life
fighting these attitudes levies an emotional tax that is a form of intellectual
emasculation (de Grasse Tyson, 1991). The emotional tax de Grasse Tyson
referred to aptly describes the undermining role that stereotypes can play in
the intellectual lives of African American studentsand, indeed, of anyone

who contends with stereotypes that question his or her abilities. The
psychological literature has taught us much about how negative stereotypes
can contribute to intellectual underperformance among stigmatized students
(e.g., Steele, 1997; Steele, Spencer, & Aronson, 2002). It has offered much
less, however, about what can be done to lift the emotional tax levied upon
stigmatized students. In this article, we hope to address this shortcoming by
introducing an intervention program designed to remedy stereotype-based
underperformance at a critical period in a students burgeoning academic life
the transition to junior high school. (Improving adolescents standardized
test performance: An intervention to reduce the effects of stereotypes threat,
646), this excerpt from the article, is a perfect example of how stereotyping
takes a toll on students and the way they view themselves.
Conclusion
Standardized testing needs improvement, the research found shows that this
topic is very controversial. The topics discussed in this paper have given an
in-depth look into standardized testing, the questions within the paper
elaborated on four main questions. The four questions allowed the audience
to get a better understanding of standardized testing as a whole. This paper
not only explained what standardized testing is, but also gave the audience
imagery with evidence (quotes,) found in articles and websites. Overall this
paper analyzed standardized testing and the patterns seen throughout time.

References
Boaler, J. (2003). When learning no longer matters: Standardized testing
and the creation of inequality. Phi Delta Kappan, 84(7), 502-506.
Good. C., Aronson, J., & Inzlicht, M. (2003). Improving adolescents
standardized tests performance: An intervention to reduce the
effects
of stereotype
threat. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology,
24(6), 645-662
FRONTLINE ProgramTesting our schools. Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/schools/nochild/nclb.html
Popham W. J., (March 2001). Education Leadership. Teaching to the
test?, 58(6).Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/mar01/vol58/num06/Teaching-to-the-Test.aspx
ProCon.org-Pros and Cons of controversial issues. Retrieved from
http://standardizedtests.procon.org/#background)
test anxiety. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24th, 2015, from
http://www.yourdictionary.com/test
anxiety Read more at http://www.yourdictionary.com/testanxiety#kFHtTDM4IUhaTBO0.99