I remember several occasions throughout my elementary to high school in which I dreaded coming to school because I knew, that day, we would have to take that never-ending, boring test. This test happened every year: we would come to school with the infamous #2 pencil and have to be prepared for the most tedious situations like reading a few paragraphs just to answer a few questions, or solve long math problems. To add to all that, none of the efforts put into this long test would be counted towards our grade. This was all because standardized testing existed. I used to think that standardized testing was useless. There was no purpose to the test except for the district to see how we, as students, were academically doing and to compare us to the other districts. However, that, essentially, is the whole point of standardized testing. Looking at it from a broader viewpoint, standardized testing is necessary because it helps provide districts, states, and even our parents a crucial comparison between schools and districts. Standardized testing provides a benchmark or “goal” for students to achieve, and it also allows parents to see how their student is doing academically against the nationwide results.
Standardized testing is considerably an accurate and unfiltered measure of what and how much a student knows. Because each teacher has a different grading system, scores can be uneven across schools and classes. For example, one math teacher can have easier tests than another, even in the same school. This would mean that getting an “A” would be easier in the first teacher’s math class. Teacher grading is subjective, and can also be favored towards certain students. Standardized testing makes the playing field fair and is an objective measure of student achievements. Without standardized testing, “policymakers have to rely on tests from individual schools,” which can be biased because schools can produce results that are favorable (procon.org). In addition, parents are able to compare their students to others within the state. Parents want to know if their child is meeting the average state benchmarks and how he/she compares to their statewide peers. According to the June-July 2013 Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research Poll, they found that “75% of parents say standardized tests “are a solid measure of their children’s abilities and 93% of parents say standardized tests should be used to identify areas where students need extra help” (fordhaminstitute.org). The standardized testing allows for schools to send messages to policymakers and parents to show how their students or children are doing against national learning benchmarks. This ensures that children, especially those of color and low-income, are able to get the education equal to others.
In conclusion, standardized testing is necessary in measuring the nation’s benchmark academic performance. It provides a clear view on academic mastery and is an objective and summative assessment of student achievement. Without standardized testing, it would be difficult to compare students across the nation from each other as each teacher’s grading system is different. It allows for parents to see how their child is doing in school compared to others. Standardized testing also allows for schools to compare themselves to each other to ensure that they are doing what is necessary to provide a top education to their students. It also allows parents and the district to keep schools accountable for their student’s academic performances. Because of these reasons, standardized testing is essential in our education system today. Standardized testing is not focused on narrow content, but rather aimed towards the important basic skills that students need to master.
ENG 206 - Chloe Lee 