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Gianna Maurino
Mr. Davis
Government 4
17 October 2017
Standardized Testing 2017
Many students spend countless days studying in fear of failing standardized tests, these
tests create stress in a students life which can easily be fixed if standardized testing is
eliminated. However many people believe that standardized tests do help categorize students
making it possible to rank schools. This bill should become a law as it will reduce unnecessary
stress amongst students and teachers, erase the general bias these tests have created and stop
schools from cutting programs.
Standardize tests create an excessive amount of stress between students and teachers.
Students spend countless hours studying for tests that do not even test their knowledge.
Standardized tests are multiple choice which do not provide accurate information about an
individual because students could be bad test takers while being under immense amounts of
stress(Lash). A test being usually timed and multiple choice gives students more of an
inclination to guess the answer instead of taking there time and actually using their own
knowledge to find the answer. We do not gain any knowledge from taking a standardized test,
creating the common core to be at risk of failure, not because the standards are bad but because
we will not receive a real picture of achievement, which causes people to be disappointed and let
the scores run there course(Jouriles). Since teachers spend a great deal of time preparing
students for these tests they tend to cut out important information that will not be on the test in

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order to teach everything in time. Students should focus more on topics that actually matter
rather than tests that are proven to be biased.
The standard tests given to students are racially biased towards students. The creators of
such standardized tests only provide a half black half white option which leaves multi racial
students feeling left out. However many forms of bias are not superficial, test makers also use
statistical bias-reduction techniques but they do not detect the underlying bias in the tests form
or content(fairtest.com). As a result biased cultural assumptions built into the test as a whole
often are not removed by test-makers or publishers. Standardized tests such as the ACT and
SAT are biased to low income students and people of color(Woestehoff). Students in these
groups who are likely to get lower test scores are denied entrances to scholarships even though
they are capable to do so, adding on to the huge racial gap in colleges. In addition schools are
cutting important programs that are necessary to help a student learn.
The standardized tests given out have taken up too much time in the school year while
instead teacher should be creating tests for what they have taught. Schools are cutting back on
arts, civics, science, physical education and history because they are not on the test(Ravitch). In
the end these tests are meaningless for they do not show what a student has learned and teachers
do not get to review what a student got wrong. Schools are under a great pressure to raise their
test scores that they are taking time out of recess, causing a negative impact on a students
emotional, physical and academic well-being(Columbia University). Students who take
standardized tests do not need to deal with the mental strain such as anxiety that prohibit the
student from taking the test. This can lead to negative health consequences as well as negative
feelings developed for school.

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Some people may infer that standardized tests gage how well a student is doing as well as
ensure that teachers are teaching students what they should be learning about common core. For
some people they use standardized testing to be different from one another. Tests such as the
ACT and SAT give students a chance to show that even if there highschool did not offer larger
amount of ap classes, they are still bright and motivated students that have potential for colleges
(Concordia). Standardized testing are what school board members rely on while evaluating a
schools effectiveness(Popham). Teachers stray away from teaching other subjects because they
have to teach the common core that is on the standardized tests. Lastly gaging an individuals
performance through testing and evaluating a school are not reliable tests to run.
This bill should become a law because it will reduce unnecessary stress amongst students
and teachers, erase the general bias these tests have created and stop schools from cutting
programs. The education system in the United States is far behind the education systems in
Europe such as Denmark and Finland. Finally I would like to eliminate standardized testing from
all school systems by 2017.

Work Cited
Print:

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University, Columbia, and Office Of Work/life. Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing . Pros
and Cons of Standardized Testing, 2013.Print.
Website:
Do Standardized Tests Show an Accurate View of Students Abilities? Concordia Portland
Online, 5 July 206ADAD, http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/news/do-standardizedtest-show-an-accurate-view-of-students-abilities/.
Jouriles, Greg. Here's Why We Don't Need Standardized Tests. Education Week, 1 May 2016,
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/07/09/36jouriles.h33.html.
Lash, Jonathan. Site. Www.hampshire.edu, 21 Sept. 2015,
https://www.hampshire.edu/news/2015/09/21/results-of-removing-standardized-test-scoresfrom-college-admission.
Popham, James. Why Standardized Tests Don't Measure Educational Quality. Educational
Leadership:Using Standards and Assessments:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar99/vol56/num06/whystandardized-tests-don't-measure-educational-quality.aspx.
Ravitch, Diane. Is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America? Standardized Tests - ProCon.org. ProConorg Headlines, 11 Apr. 2016,
http://standardizedtests.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionid=001747.
What's Wrong With Standardized Tests? The National Center for Fair &Amp; Open Testing,
22 May 2012, http://www.fairtest.org/whats-wrong-standardized-tests.
Woestehoff, Julie. Civil Rights, Discrimination, and Standardized Testing. Parents Across
America, 15 Jan. 2015, http://parentsacrossamerica.org/civil-rights-discriminationstandardized-testing/.

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