Lea Lamiroult

Senior Research Paper

Standardized Testing
While standardized testing is found all over the globe, the use of standardized
testing has caused many debates and reforms to form all over the nation. While some
views are saying the tests are necessary for the future of our students, others are
saying there are too many tests being administered to our students. Some of these
views include the students themselves. Most of the debates that have been seen
recently are about the use of standardized testing.
Both views are emotionally driven
into debate.
We should always look at debated views of standardized testing from a neutral
standpoint to gain the facts and the perspectives of both sides before coming to our
own conclusion of which view is right or wrong.

A standardized test is any form of test that requires all test takers to answer the
same questions and is scored in a standard or consistent manner. This makes it
possible to compare the relative performance of individual students or groups of
students to others around the world.
Taking exams and tests have been around for centuries and have evolved over
the many years. The first records of standardized testing was seen in China before the
industrial revolution. To test potential students for government jobs. (
Fletcher)
In

america, at the time of World War 1, the government used standardized aptitude tests
known as the, Army Mental Test, to assign jobs during the war.
In 1931, the first automatic test scanner was developed by Reynold B Johnson, a
high school physics teacher from Ironwood, Michigan. The computer was called the
IBM 805.
Using tiny electrical circuits the computer would detect pencil marks on the
students answer sheets and compare them to the answer key set up in the computer.
The IBM 805 was first used publicly in 1936 for the NY state regents exams. This basic
design of the IBM 805 has been used and developed further throughout the years.
(
IBM 100
)
In 1926, the Scholastic Aptitude Test, currently known as the SAT, was founded
by the College Board, a nonprofit group of universities and other educational
organizations. The test had 315 questions and lasted 90 minutes. The questions were
basic math and fill-in-the-blank analogies. Later in 1930, the SAT evolved into the
current form with math and english as separate sections of the test. By the end of
World War 2, for high school students it became a rite of passage into college. Scores
are still looked at as a way into universities. The test remained unchanged until 2005,
when the analogies section was replaced by the writing section.
In 1959, Everett Franklin Lindquist, a professor at the University of Iowa,
developed the American College Testing exam. This is also known as the ACT; it is a
competitor of the SAT. Where the SAT only includes math and reading, the ACT
includes Science and facts in addition to English, Math, and Reading. Both test are
looked at differently and have different focus points. While the SAT is geared toward

logic, the ACT is geared toward accumulative knowledge. Both tests have found their
place in the world of education.
While not mandatory, if a student plans of attending
college, taking one of these high stakes tests has become a necessity. Although
different colleges look at each test differently, so the student needs to be aware of
which is the better test to take.

In recent years, government and states have been forming new ways to test
students. Since the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in 2002,
Students are being
tested younger and younger, some as young as in Kindergarten, and the results are
often recorded by state government. sc
hools are even testing elementary students. The
NCLB law mandates that all states must test students on English and Math in 3rd
through 8th grade and at least once in high school. The results are also recorded and
documented by the state government.
The average student will take at least 112 mandatory exams, not including tests
given by the teachers. Thats approximately 2.3% of the school year. Students are
sitting 6,570 times for these tests. Most of the testing is done in 8th grade. All this time
for taking these mandatory exams can be overwhelming. (
Camera)

Recently, there has been rising debates about standardized testing and whether
it is helping our children or not. Many of these debates have been about the ways the
tests are used and the reliability or validity of the test.

The purpose of the tests are to hold teachers and schools accountable for
students progress and proficiency. They are also to see if students are learning the
curriculum that they should be; as well as to check to see if education policies are
working in the way they were meant to. By taking the tests, the states and government
can get an idea of how the schools are doing in comparison to other states and the rest
of the world. They can develop new ways to improve the progress of students learning
if they need to.
People who approve of standardized testing believe it is an accurate way of
measuring student performance and teachers effectiveness.
The tests are all the same
standards. They are graded the same, distributed the same, and results are recorded
the same. So, it would only make sense to believe that these tests are, indeed,
unbiased.
The Glossary of Education Reform states, Many test experts and educators
consider them to be a fair and objective method of assessing the academic
achievement of students, mainly because the standardized format, coupled with
computerized scoring, reduces the potential for favoritism, bias, or subjective
evaluations.
As the tests continue to be mandated, the students and parents are protesting
against the mandatory tests. The students and parents are getting upset and saying
things like; the tests are taking away from quality education, the stress is causing the
students to drop out of school, and many other distressful statements and opinions.

Many students that have gone to school on test days have been ill or exhausted
from studying. Students have been put to tears from the stress and pressure of the
ACT and SAT. Especially since the grades could mean the students chances of getting
into college.
In an article U.S.News reported, Dr. Elaine Cox describes how these tests are
affecting students and teachers as well:
Increased pressure on students has resulted in more
test-taking anxiety
.
Encouraged not to miss testing days, children may come to school ill and not at
their full ability for successful performance. Multiple cases of children being
moved to tears or vomiting are widely shared by educators.
Sleeplessness
,
loss
of self-esteem secondary to poor performance and lifelong mental blocks can
be seen in individual children.These tests need to help them develop the life
skills of self-awareness so they never give up on personal improvement set by
their own goals. We need to support our teachers to have time for creativity and
personalization in the classroom. Their value needs to be determined by many
factors, not just how their class performs on standardized tests. (Cox)
Some students simply do not test well. Many students are affected by test
anxiety or do not show their learning well on a standardized test, resulting in
inaccurately lower scores. (Fairtest)
Test standards and major research groups such as the National Academy of
Sciences clearly state that, Major educational decisions should not be based solely on
a test score. High-stakes testing punishes students, and often teachers, for things they

cannot control. It drives students and teachers away from learning, and at times from
school. It narrows, distorts, weakens and impoverishes the curriculum while fostering
forms of instruction that fail to engage students or support high-quality learning. In a
high-stakes testing environment, the limit to educational improvement is largely
dictated by the tests, but the tests are a poor measure of high-quality curriculum and
learning. In particular, the emphasis on testing hurts low-income students and
students from minority groups. Testing cannot provide adequate information about
school quality or progress. High-stakes testing actively hurts, rather than helps,
genuine educational improvement.
Now students have been opting out of taking the tests as a way of stating that
the students and parents are fed up with having to worry about them. Doing this is
causing schools and districts consequences such as sanctions and the firing of
teachers. Due to this, the teachers have started Teaching to the Test, as a way of
making sure the students pass.
As seen in an article from fairtest.org, The higher the stakes, the more schools
focus instruction on the tests. As a result, what is not tested often is not taught. Whole
subjects may be dropped; e.g., science, social studies, art or physical education may be
eliminated if only language arts and math are tested. Important topics or skills that
cannot be tested with paper-and-pencil tests such as writing research papers or
conducting laboratory experiments are not taught.
Instruction starts to look like the tests.

Some say this is a good thing as long as the context taught is important; while
others believe it takes away from the quality of education.
Students are tired of learning the same information and practicing skills for
these mandatory tests and exams.
Everything about education seems to be about preparing our students for the
tests. We are even giving tests to the youngest students in pre-k to see if they are
ready for kindergarten. Parents are furious, students are exhausted, teachers wish
they could teach subjects instead of spend all their time preparing students for
standardized tests.
Based on these statements and opinions, I can see that many people are against
taking standardized tests. While the intention was good initially, the government may
be unaware of how much they are administering tests and how it is affecting the
students, teachers, and parents. Being a student myself, I have been taking these tests
throughout my educational life. With the personal experience I can empathize with the
other students and parents.
Yet, I also understand that these tests are intended to help our education; to
prepare our students who are the future of our nation and be able to monitor the
progress of all the schools. It has also been helpful to understand that these standards
may seem biased. Considering the individual learning styles, disabilities, testing skills,
and the students individuality can be very hard when creating these standardized
tests, making it seem biased.

Parents can support their kids in many ways by encouraging positive

self-esteem, and feeling confident in the kids. Teachers can enforce confidence in
their students test taking skills and working with many different learning styles. State
and government officials could lower the stakes of these standardized tests. Making
them optional or placing less consequences behind them if we fail. Theres only so
much that we can do to prepare for college without becoming overwhelmed by stress
over high-stakes tests.
After learning the facts and looking at the different views and opinions, I have
found, in conclusion, that the tests are inevitably going to continue being
administered. Instead of boycotting, refusing to take them, and stressing over them;
we should work together to form new ways to prepare that doesnt include teaching
to the test, studying all day and all night, or going in when the student is ill.
College is always hard to get into, regardless of a test score. Its just a number
on a piece of paper. It doesnt define who you are as a student and it will never predict
your future academically. We all take the standardized test; its not going to kill us if
we dont get a perfect score. If the authorities in charge think they have the power to
control how we learn and what we learn, they are wrong. We have the freedom of
education. School doesnt have to be punishment because of a silly piece of paper. We
can work together on a way to take the test without them becoming overwhelming.
That is the solution in my opinion.

Works Cited
Camera, Lauren. Students Stuck in Maze of Testing.
US News
.
U.S.News & World Report, 25 Oct. 2015. Web. 06 June 2016.
Cox, Elaine, M.D. "Standardized Tests: Making Our Students and Teachers Sick?"
US
News
.
U.S.News & World Report, 16 May 2015. Web. 24 May 2016.
Ed. S. Abbott. Learning Standards Definition.
The Glossary of Education Reform
.
N.p., 6 Aug. 2014. Web. 06 June 2016
Fairtest. The Dangerous Consequences of High-Stakes Standardized Testing.
The
National Center for Fair & Open Testing
.
N.p., 17 Dec. 2007. Web. 06 June 2016.
Fletcher, Dan. Standardized Testing.
Time
.
Time Inc., 11 Dec. 2009. Web. 06 June 2016.
IBM 100. "Automated Test Scoring."
IBM 100
.
N.p., n.d. Web. 18 June 2016.
Kemmerling, Colette. The Pros of Standardized Testing.
The Pros of Standardized
Testing
.
N.p., 2005. Web. 06 June 2016.
Layton, Lyndsey. Study Says Standardized Testing Is Overwhelming Nation's Public
Schools.
Washington Post
.
The Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2015. Web. 06 June 2016.
Strauss, Valerie. Everything You Need to Know about Common Core Ravitch.
Washington Post
.
The Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 June 2016

Logos of the SAT and ACT

Image of the IBM 805 computer

This political cartoon shows the effects of how standardized tests change how students
process and comprehend information.

Political cartoon about how teaching to the test is perceived to some people

Compared views in a diagram