Reflective Essay on Standardized Testing

Have you ever taken a test and wondered if that one test would decide if you pass or fail a class, get into the college you always dreamed of, or determine the rest of your future as a student and in your career? Tests are important to determine a student's understanding of a topic, but is it too much pressure to let their whole future ride on a singular grade of a 50 question timed test? That is the question I have been asking myself, fellow classmates and teachers. Everyone has different opinions on this subject including students and teachers but we all want one thing, what is best for students all over the country. By offering alternatives to standardized testing, American students are not confined to demonstrate their knowledge through timed assessments but instead they have the ability to pursue their own American dream by not being defined by a test score.

There are a mass number of people who support standardized testing due to the fact that students have the ability to test their knowledge and prove what they have learned on a subject. On the other hand, some teachers feel as if they are “teaching the test” instead of teaching and helping students. A variety of students feel that one test will define the rest of their life, where they go to college, what their GPA is, if they will have the career and life that they want and work so hard for. Teachers explain that ’Many people who dislike the Common Core State Standards Initiative argue that too much time is spent preparing students for standardized tests instead of making sure that they learn and understand the material, so they can apply that knowledge throughout their education and their lives. The problem is that there is very limited research available on the effects of test preparation on teaching quality” (Barrington). Teachers are required to teach a specific curriculum and required to teach it in a specific way. When teachers are limited to the way they are allowed to teach and help students they feel powerless and as if they have no control over the way they are teaching students. On the contrary, some teachers feel as if they know exactly what to teach students in order for them to succeed. Since teachers know the exact curriculum they also know exactly what to teach students so they know what will be on their test and the things that they need to know. An article from Fordham institute expresses that “ standardized exam data remain the best way to hold schools accountable for their academic performance “(Churchill) and that “ standardized exams are designed to be objective measures. They assess students based on a similar set of questions, are given under nearly identical testing conditions, and are graded by a machine or blind reviewer (Churchill). Churchill along with teachers feel like standardized testing is a positive way to objectively measure students' understanding of a subject. While there are both advantages and disadvantages of standardized testing many teachers feel as if they are losing their profession and purpose by the educational requirements that states are requiring. 

Everyone has different beliefs about standardized testing, including parents, teachers, and students.  I have conducted my own research by asking teachers and students around my school how they feel about standardized testing. I have received first hand quotes from teachers and students explaining their thoughts and opinions on standardized testing. My mom, Kristi Grogan, a teacher at Carmel Baptist School said that “Students are under too much pressure because of standardized testing. Due to the SAT and ACT final exams decide where students get into college and basically the rest of their future. This requires students to work double as hard and not receive the proper help and care that they need”. Kristi has seen first hand people not get into the college they dreamed of due to a singular test score. After talking to my mom I decided to talk to a few students at Ardrey Kell High School to see how they felt about Standardized testing. More than 75% of the students at AK believed that standardized testing caused them stress and their mental health to go into a downward spiral. The students I spoke to said that they felt unprepared when they took their final exam not knowing most of the material that was on the test. Students communicated that it is “a block for students who are not the best test takers. One score should NOT impact the future of an individual or the rate of acceptance they have for a particular school. The idea of gaining data is reasonable but for it to be a massive incentive for your life is not the best way to accurately assess an individual because people have their strengths and weaknesses that may differ yet them as an individual could still be very resourceful in many more areas than one person doing well on a test. Life is not just about testing but who you are as an individual” (anonymous). As we can tell from the data, students and teachers feel like standardized testing is not the best way to test students' knowledge because it causes stress and pressure that is unnecessary for students who are already having anxiety over these assessments which could decide their whole future. 

There are many alternatives to standardized testing, some including, providing teacher-made tests, portfolio-based assessments, and performance-based assessments. By offering teacher-made tests teachers have the ability to know and understand what they need to be teaching their students and how it can be beneficial for students instead of stressful. Additionally, teachers could present knowledge-based testing that is not testing, including projects, presentations, and labs. Furthermore, teacher-made assessments can allow students to feel confident in the test and allow for teachers to help students who need it through tutoring which can potentially better prepare them for their final assessment.  A performance-based assessment is where students can test their knowledge and measure what students have learned by high tasked challenges, labs, and applications of the topics through conversations and projects.  I read an article stating that “Performance-based assessments aren’t a practical alternative to standardized tests, but they offer a different way of evaluating knowledge that can provide a more complete picture of student achievement. Determining which systems of evaluation work best in specific circumstances and is an ongoing challenge for education administrators”. When presenting students with performance-based assessments they can test their knowledge and ability through the application of the subject instead of a timed test. With all of these possible solutions, students need to understand that they will still be testing their knowledge on subjects but instead of feeling unprepared, they will feel confident in the tests that they will be taking for each subject. 

By offering alternatives to standardized testing, American students are not confined to demonstrate their knowledge through timed assessments but instead, they have the ability to pursue their own American dream by not being defined by a test score. Standardized Testing can cause a lot of students stress and anxiety while also causing teachers to feel like they are “teaching the test”. There are so many other potential alternatives that can allow both teachers and students to feel better. In the future students can potentially no longer have to  take standardized tests and they can feel like their whole future does not depend on a singular test.