Follow the Standardized Brick Road?

JoLynn Fletcher
Professor Kirkmeyer
English 1010
2 November 2009

Follow the Standardized Brick Road?

“Standardized tests were first administered to see where a student was in the class and if they needed additional help” (Aubrey Goolsby). It is interesting to see how much the common goal of standardized tests can morph into so much more than just a simple tool to test academic progress. I agree with Ms. Goolsby that these tests have come to be regarded more highly than they really should be when it comes to the educational futures of students across the nation.
Through tests, more specifically standardized tests, our culture has come to put more emphasis on the testing process rather than the actual educational and learning experiences that a child receives at school. Elements such as the inconsistency of standardized tests that can be fueled by the lack of participation by students and their stress and anxiety only help to put light on the fact that standardized tests aren’t everything that they have been made out to be throughout the past. Standardized tests should not in any way, shape or form be regarded as highly as they are. By the way in which they stand now, these tests have the ability to make or break many students’ academic careers as well as their self-esteem and motivation.

Standardized tests have been proven to show inconstancy across the nation through educational gaps. Teachers use many different methods at various different skill levels to teach their students. The materials taught originate from curriculum guidelines and standards that aren’t always followed correctly which only widens these gaps in terms of knowledge production in youth.

The sole fact that students only try on standardized tests, such as the ACT and SAT, can be linked to the fact that with all other standardized tests, they are not directly affected. When these types of tests are given to a certain group of students across the nation to see how well teachers and schools are doing at giving a proper education, students will not try their best to give good representation to their school. Schools are then punished with higher academic standards.

“It’s just that the system is not based on showing what a person’s utmost potential on what he does know, but only on what you don’t know” (Aubrey Goolsby). Tests are used to help weed out those students who know their materials from the ones who don’t. It is with this system that the foundation for standardized testing is based. Not only do students feel like tests are geared towards the majority of their peer’s strengths, but they also feel that standardized tests only cater to either right or left brained students. “Every single person has their own learning pattern and standardized test can be degrading to a person’s self-esteem” (Aubrey Goolsby).
Stress and anxiety are common factors that, in no way, help students who are taking any sort of test. Not only does stress and anxiety take away confidence levels when entering a test, but they also play a factor in the ability to retain the knowledge required to perform well. The fact that we all have been trained to give right or wrong answers can also play a huge role in contributing to stress. It is with the greater understanding of individual strengths that students won’t feel quite so bombarded when trying to succeed.

“We are the only industrialized nation that considers the mastery of basic skills to be the goal of k-12 education” (Ravitch, and Cortese 73). While basic skills are essential for everyday life, in the real world, it is highly in-effective to construct thirteen years of education solely on basic skills. With the implementation of projects and activities that explore other educational avenues, we can better diversify the over-all educational standards that the United States has set for themselves in comparison to other academically progressive nations.
Many people see testing, standardized in particular, as a solid structure and education base for improving academics. These tests are seen as not only a good way to see how much knowledge has been retained by students but also how well they can project it back to the teacher on paper through right and wrong answers. While standardized testing is indeed a good way to provide students with the ability to nurture their own academic independence, the results aren’t always what teachers hope for.

I, on the other hand, agree with Ms. Goolsby that standardized testing is indeed an inaccurate and unjust way of testing a student’s intellect. It seems rather unfair to judge a student based upon knowledge a child should know rather than what they do know. She brings up many other valid points that depict standardized testing as an unsuitable way to perceive a student’s ability to retain years of education, especially when it comes to admission into college. While I will agree that there needs to be higher expectations for academics across the nation, it seems like testing shouldn’t be the only way in which we reach those goals, but rather through more creative ways to present new materials and information to students. It is through these new and conventional experiences, students will come to appreciate the education that they are receiving rather than dreading the testing of what they have or haven’t obtained throughout any given time in a school year.

So, with standardized testing growing to be more and more of a debate on whether it should be regarded as highly as it is in terms of a students’ educational future, we must look at all avenues of thought and contemplate what exactly these tests can do to better improve one’s education rather than to set it back to due unhealthy test scores and negative feedback. We can look to strong writers on this topic, such as Ms. Goolsby and derive our opinions from there, however it takes a great deal of thought and consideration before one can come to a conclusion as to hold standardized testing so highly.



Works Cited

Goolsby, Aubrey. "The Madness of Testing to Improve Educationaltr Achievement." Weblog post. Writers of the World. 14 Oct. 2009. Web. .