Starting from a young age, we as students have always experience standardized testing as part of our typical educational curriculum and experience. We have always been taught to study for what will be on our next big standardized test. "Will this be on the AP test? Will we need to know this for the SAT? What is a good score to receive on our STAR test?" These are questions we are all too familiar with, and they show just how much standardized testing has taken over our education. When students are trained to study only to prepare them for a standardized test, it not only teaches them improper study habits of short term memorization, but also prevents them from completely exploring topics in depth and truly learning all they can about a subject. Not only does standardized testing promote bad study habits, many people also find that with their test scores playing such an influential role in their academic futures, cheating becomes more prevalent especially on their standardized tests. When students feel that, despite all of their hard work at memorizing what they think they need to know for these tests and they still feel the need to cheat on these tests, this is when you know something is wrong with this system.
How do you feel about standardized testing and how can our curriculum be changed?
For more information on the pros and cons of standardized testing, see this website.
The two kids I nanny who are in 3rd and 5th grade are taking SBAC testing right now and the past few days that I pick them up that's all they talk about. They both ask my "Why do we have to take these?" and I really don't know how to answer them. Do I tell them that it's so they can be compared and compete with all of the other students or that it's so teachers and administration can judge their progress? I think standardized testing is a very outdated way of measuring a student's intelligence.
ReplyDeleteI agree Evelyn! Standardized testing doesn't test how much we know, it only tests if you remember stuff that's on the test which isn't important to our school work.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely, I just honestly don't see the purpose. If the purpose is to measure student progress, that isn't viable because standardized testing does not correctly measure student progress and ability. There are too many students that get either an advantage or disadvantage in the studying for standardized tests that is just doesn't make the results very accurate. I just don't understand why this is necessary in schools now because people never did this like 10-15 years ago and those people and schools managed perfectly fine.
ReplyDeleteI always had this bad thought in my head because pf standardized testing/curriculum guidelines. When I'm reading or studying I'll think "this wont be on the test" and then move on to something else. I feel like setting concrete guidelines has stunted exploration in students. Before all the tests I'd go on tangents while learning and it was great. Now I do solely what I need to do because that is what has been taught to me and that is the only part that will count. I think classes should require a vague "extra" on research and projects and homework. Just a required "go out and explore" portion.
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