For as long as standardized testing has been in use, there has been controversy regarding its purpose to students. Parents, students, and credible sources continue to debate the importance and necessity of standardized testing. Norman Augustine’s “High Marks for Standardized Tests”, focuses on the positives of standardized testing by refuting arguments made by opponents of standardized testing. In contrast, James Popham’s “Why Standardized Tests Don’t Measure Educational Quality” points out why standardized testing is not ideal through the use of statistical and actual evidence from standardized tests. In their unique structure, both articles effectively argue the pros and cons of standardized testing.
In Norman Augustine’s article, Augustine emphasizes the importance of standardized testing in the American education system. Augustine believes that opponents of standardized testing “fail to grasp testing’s valuable role in motivating and guiding students and teachers” (Augustine 2). Through the article, Augustine highlights three main arguments opponents have on the issue and respectively points out why their arguments are invalid. These arguments include: “exams detract from the larger goals of education by encouraging teachers to “teach the test.””(Augustine 4), “standardized tests drive educators to cheat” (Augustine 7), and “high-stakes testing places too much…show more content… Adding counterarguments in Popham’s essay will solidify the point he is trying to make. However, Popham’s solid details throughout his article were able to send a message to his intended audience. All in all, Popham never rejected the idea of standardized testing in schools. However, he believes that the measurement of students’ academic readiness should not be measured by a series of tests that are evidently unfair to