The Problems of Standardized Testing Persuasive Essay Example

📌Category: Education, Standardized testing
📌Words: 1374
📌Pages: 5
📌Published: 17 April 2022

Nowadays, it would not make sense to travel by horse to a meeting when cars are available, or write out a long math problem when calculators and computers can do the work in an instant. As time has progressed so has processes surrounding everyday life. Since these methods of evaluating everyday things are no longer as accurate or beneficial, society has moved away from using them. Everyone is constantly working to make the world a better and more efficient place. Inventions and tests that are more accurate to solving problems have become quite popular. If this is the case, then why are standardized tests still being used to evaluate students? Countless studies and research has been done on the topic of if standardized tests are still beneficial. At this point, it has become rather clear that standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT, are no longer a beneficial tool for schools and colleges to use when looking at prospective students due to the fact that they are not accurate representations of students, they discriminate against students of lower income or those with disabilities, and that they are overall not necessary. If standardized tests were to be used less or even eliminated, schools could implement other ways to examine students' progress and intelligence, and some colleges may even begin to notice an increase in diversity. In order to make this difference of removing standardized tests, it would be important to talk to the head of the department of education to begin this long process.

Standardized tests may have once been an accurate predictor of a students intelligence, but no longer are very helpful in the ways they are used. Tests had original purposes when college was not as popular, but now they just remain because no one has chosen to remove them. As stated in Gunzelmann’s writing, “the first tests were to weed out children who would not benefit from traditional schools” (Gunzelmann 213). Obviously these types of tests are no longer needed in today’s schooling, but they have become implemented into the school program. Along with tests being used for reasons other than their original purpose, there are also better methods of evaluating students today, like GPA. Grade point average is based on individual students and what they had learned in school, rather than a very broad test that does not necessarily pertain to what was taught in their highschool. As Cooper writes in his Forbes article, “a student with a high GPA and a middling SAT score has a 62% chance of graduating within six years, while a student with the opposite credentials (high SAT score but mediocre grades) has only a 51% chance of graduation” (Cooper, Forbes). Although there is still a high likelihood of graduation when observing standardized test scores, these statistics show that schools should move away from the focus on tests like the ACT and SAT and start encouraging students to get the highest GPA that they can. These broad tests may have once been the best predictor of life after high school, but in the present day, they are not the most accurate. It would be quite obvious for the department of education to initiate the change away from standardized tests if they would just observe what is most accurate when evaluating students.

Along with standardized tests not being the most accurate method of predicting how good of a student someone is, they are also unfair. Students that come from a background of lower income or experience mental health issues are already facing disadvantages. When researchers took a step back to observe why some students were not doing as well on these tests as others, one of the main issues was their homelife. As written in the Washington Post, “they [researchers] had long pointed to extensive research showing standardized test scores are most strongly correlated to a student’s life circumstances” (Strauss, Washington Post). While students can not control their family income, it has lasting effects on their future plans. Standardized tests create unnecessary amounts of stress for all students, but especially students who can not afford the extra practice exams and study packs which create unneeded costs. Popham, a professor at UCLA, writes in one of his articles, “Students who do not perform as well as others are just as smart but do not perform as well due to outstanding circumstances” (Popham, ACSD). Standardized tests create disadvantages without even meaning to, but by eliminating the need for them, a fairer evaluation of students with abiding life situations can be implemented. 

Another outside issue that affects standardized test results is mental health issues. In today’s world, more and more students are affected by mental health issues every year. Although there are so many different varieties of illnesses, one of the most common today is anxiety. Many students who have anxiety face lots of extra and unwanted anxiety during school and test taking. Gunzelmann wrote, “These tests are not made for people with test anxiety or any other disability which does not allow them to score well” (Gunzelmann). Even if a student knows exactly how to do the work, test anxiety can cause them to become flustered and not score as well as they should have. By getting rid of standardized tests, not only would all students benefit from less stress, but these students who already face issues outside of school would feel a huge sense of relief.

Furthermore, standardized tests are not only inaccurate and unfair, but they are also not necessary in today’s schooling. Colleges began focusing less and less on standardized test scores as the 2000s progressed, but colleges still wanted to see them. With the recent coronavirus pandemic, the majority of colleges no longer required ACT or SAT scores. This proves that not only were tests an extra stressor but now also an unnecessary stressor for students. In the Washington Post article, the writer wrote, “But the combination of the pandemic, the uprising and disillusionment with the testing industry… points to a new chapter… the beginning of the end of our obsession with high-stakes standardized tests” (Strauss, Washington Post). By moving away from such a strong focus on standardized tests, high schools can focus on helping students earn the best class grades and highest GPA as possible without another outside factor. Another reason why standardized tests should not be necessary is because students who do not intend on going to college are being forced to study and take them. There is such an emphasis on requiring these tests that oftentimes the other side of the spectrum is overlooked. By requiring tests, students who do not intend on pursuing college education receive an unnecessary amount of additional work. Betsy Gunzelmann writes, “Students without the intent of going to college are being forced to endure long tests and pay extra money out of pocket, oftentimes that they can not afford” (Gunzelmann 217). By proving that these tests no longer are beneficial and in fact unnecessary, students with all different types of futures will benefit because they will not face endless amounts of avoidable stress.

Looking from the other perspective, standardized tests can be valued in very limited settings. There are a few rare circumstances when looking at the scores received on these tests can help. Popman mentions “think about the parents who discover that their 4th grade child is performing really well in language arts and mathematics, but rather poorly in science and social studies” (Popham, ACSD). Now, yes it is useful to see where a student is struggling and needs help, but notice how it is never mentioned that these should be the sole evaluators of students, and rather a helpful tool to see what areas a student could use help. In order to eliminate standardized tests, it would be necessary to get all schools and colleges on the same page. The department of education should work to enact this change. It might be a challenge, but in the end it will be noticeable that students are less stressed and that there was no loss with the removal of these tests. Overall, standardized tests can be eliminated because there are many other substitutes for what these tests are used for.

In conclusion, standardized tests are no longer needed in today’s schooling because they are not very helpful in future plans, unfair to those with financial and mental health issues, and are truly no longer needed. By reexamining the education system and looking at the other substitutes for standardized tests, it would not be very hard to eliminate them. If the Department of Education started to work towards this goal, within a few years, standardized tests could no longer be a thing. As mentioned earlier, it does not make sense to continue using something if it is not its intended purpose or the most efficient way to complete a task. Remember, in today’s society, a horse would not be seen walking down the streets of a large city.

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