Standardized Testing Argumentative Essay

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I remember my fingers anxiously tapping my desk while I looked around a dull room of thirty students of whom I was subconsciously “competing” with. I remember contemplating what the implications might reveal based upon my projected performance. For many students, standardized tests could be the difference between a “dream” school and a “safe” school, scholarships and student loans, and a feeling of superiority or discouragement. Many people I knew had exceptional standardized test scores, but below average GPA’s and vice versa, which made me question why these tests are viewed as accurate portrayals of our secondary success. Although these assessments provide teachers with a sense of responsibility and an evaluation of student progress, does it…show more content…
Bush passed the “No Child Left Behind Act” on January 8, 2002. This law was meant to heavily enforce accountability among teachers and to have every school fulfill standardized requirements and assessments for their students. Due to the laws demanding enactment, education corporations such as Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and Riverside Publishing have accumulated billions of dollars annually for creating tests and books. Bronwyn T. Williams, a professor at the University of Louisville, admitted that this law only focuses on “broad comparisons of students, with little regard to their differences, and severe punishments for schools and teachers who fail to meet the ‘standards’” (Wiliam 152) These requirements were placed into effect in order to evaluate America’s educational progress and ensure every student’s success, but yet in 2015 the United States is ranked 28th in education globally according to BBC News (Coughlan). Many school systems have found success in the use of standardized testing while others have seen little to no progress and have sought to discover new

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