Standardized Testing… Is it really worth it?

Ka'Shara Milteer
Aug 31, 2018 · 4 min read

Is Standardized testing worth it? When I myself and other students hear these two words we start to freak out. The reason for this state-wide test can sometimes become a hassle and pain for the teachers and students just knowing the fact that you must obtain a certain score to achieve the biggest accomplishment ever which is graduating high school. Since I was young I have always been told that everyone is different, that is not a phrase that has a limit. That should apply to every aspect of life. So, I ask you the reader how am I supposed to take a test to determine if I can reach the same standards as my peers. There has been amounts of test that we have been lab rats for. These test scores are not on the scale for your county but for the state.

Teachers must cram a years’ worth of material just to meet these requirements. What happens if the individual isn’t a good test taker, but they have turned in every assignment given to them and have finished at the top of their class? When the time comes for the FASFA or the FCAT, if they don’t score high enough they can get remedial classes or even get held back. Not only is the testing stressful I personally think that it doesn’t determine a student’s actual success in a certain subject. Teachers must make a living and if their students don’t score high enough or a certain percentage doesn’t pass they could lose their job or get lesser pay.

The reason why I think standardized testing should be a little lowered is some students may not perform well on test I know this from personal experience. Since I was one of the few students that couldn’t perform well on any state test. I have always been a over achiever but I’m not the best test taker. I know I’m not the only one who has gone through this ordeal, but I do hope that my generation is the last. There isn’t a reason for people who have been out of school for decades to make up new material every year. These days its not the simple 2+2. It’s the 1+1 which can be the dividend of two which can equal if multiplied by itself 4. Our parents can’t even help anymore because the simplest of subjects have evolved. What we need to do is just go back to passing the class and proceeding to the next grade.

There is no valuable reason for all the students in Florida to be put in one category because everyone learns different. If we do not implement a change soon, this could be a major setback in the school system not only in my county but in the state. Standardized testing can also kill maybe kill the way a teacher teaches. Since now they are teaching to a test instead of how they are normally using to teach.

Standardized Testing… Is it worth it?

The purpose of my medium essay is to further explain how standardized testing can be so much of hassle for teachers and students. As a person who recently graduated and had to deal with standardized testing basically their entire education. I would say that it was kind of stressful I feel as if it should be changed around a little bit.

I think standardized testing doesn’t have a valid reason, when all the teachers are just going to speed through material the whole year. And once testing season comes around they are excepted to know the content and to perform well on them. Certain students are not good test takers and that is perfectly fine. We all get nervous once we know that this test determines whether we get a high school diploma or not. Not only that every student is different and so is their learning styles, so it may take a person longer than another person to learn a concept.

Another reason as to why standardized testing should be lowered is the kind of consequences students will have if they don’t get a certain score on the tests. They may have to take classes that they really don’t want to take or may get held back in a grade as well. If they don’t get a passing score on some of the test they would have keep on doing retakes until they pass. This can be draining to the child and parent as well.

Therefore, standardized should be questioned due to all the problems it may cause to the child and school system. And teachers would be able to teach how they normally would before testing came about.

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