Arguments Against Standardized Testing

1833 Words8 Pages
A Shift in Priorities There has always been some form of high stakes, standardized testing in existence in United States Education System (Amrein). There are different kinds of tests used that range from determining whether or not immigrant can enter the U.S. to declaring a citizen competent to enter the military. So, for nearly a century, high stakes testing has had significant rewards and consequences associated with it. Not only is it used for the government, it is most commonly seen in schools as it quickly reaches the lower grade levels like first grade and kindergarten. In order to make time for these standardized tests, a vital part of young children’s learning is being cut out- their time to play. Because of the pressure put on school districts to raise test scores, younger students have begun to be tested so that they will be able to score…show more content…
Young children are not able to develop fully or correctly if they are forced to sit in a classroom and take tests for eight hours at a time. This is why there must be a change in focus in early education so that children are able to play and still be children while learning vital material at the same time. Standardized testing of student knowledge and aptitude has been involved with kindergarten through twelfth grade education, but has been lacking in association with high stakes. The National Commission on Education released "A Nation At Risk" in 1983, "which called for an end to the minimum competency testing movement and beginning of high stakes testing movement that would raise the nation's standards of achievement drastically" (A Nation at Risk). In the last ten years, many political officials have picked up legislatures in their own states that will require the use of high stakes testing to help determine the level of learning in their school systems (A Nation at Risk). Many times these kinds of standardized, high stakes tests will be the single, determining factor in
Open Document