Essay about Standardized Testing Is Inaccurate For...

The United States of America is ranked 15th in the world for it’s quality of education. Improvement in our education system is necessary if we want to keep up with the best nations in the world. Over the past ten years, a new push has been made to improve education in America through programs like No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. States across the country are assessing teachers and schools by using standardized test scores. By using standardized test scores, states link high stakes to the results such as grant money, salary, and jobs as incentive to improve the scores for the following year. In Wisconsin and other states, 50% of these evaluations are based solely on how students score on these tests making the results have a†¦show more content†¦For example, a study in Massachusetts found that 75% of 2,798 students who did not pass a required test for high school graduation in 2011 had disabilities that affected their scores(Strauss). This shows that standard ized testing isn’t fair to people who have disadvantages and it wouldn’t be fair to assess teachers or schools poorly based on the number of students with disabilities. A family’s socioeconomic status also plays a large role in the success or failure of students’ tests. It’s only logical that well-educated and supportive parents can help their children with homework while other parents, who for a variety of reasons may not be able to support their children academically. A student’s family and peers have a large effect on the scores on a test. Therefore the locations of schools, not the quality of education, affect the ranking system because of the type of students and poverty level of students that attend a specific school. Tests that are so largely affected by the background and support that students get are not a fair ways to measure and rank schools and teachers. Because these tests are already being used to evaluate teachers, â€Å"Teac hers will subtly but surely be incentivized to avoid students with health issues, students with disabilities, students who are English Language Learners, or students suffering from emotional issues† as argued by the Chicagoland Researchers and Advocates for Transformative EducationShow MoreRelatedThe Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing1085 Words   |  5 PagesA standardized test is any form of test that requires all test takers to answer the same questions in the same way, and scored in a consistent manner, which makes it possible to compare the relative performance of students. A critical addition to education, standardized testing was a major step towards regulating a student’s achievements, ensuring the accountability of teachers, and guiding a school’s curriculum. Despite this noble aspiration, since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act andRead MoreThe Case Against Standardized Testing : Raising The Scores, Ruining The Schools823 Words   |  4 PagesAlfie Kohn’s book, The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools, presents a dispute against the standardized testing that is used to assessment the academic performance of schools. The text is highly political slant in contradiction with the standardized testing. Kohn’s argument stated that test should not be used in high-stake ways that is be given to school today or in the past. The text is written in question and answer format where the author is able to defendRead MoreStandardized Test Scores An Accurate Representation Of A Student s Abilities1735 Words   |  7 PagesAre standardized test scores an accurate representation of a student s abilities? 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Many people consider standardized testing as an objective way of grading a studentRead MoreEnsure Accuracy Case Study1707 Words   |  7 Pagesnumerous ways in order to provide much needed information for the teachers and administration to see performance strength and weaknesses of the students. It is critical that this data be handled properly to ensure accuracy, security, and reliability of the data. One method this school uses to ensure accuracy is to provide several training opportunities to teachers and Title I staff who will administer tests that provide this data. The teachers and staff are trained on how to give tests s uch as the STARRead MoreLanguage Assessment And Language Proficiency816 Words   |  4 Pagesstandards for specific academic content areas† (Short, 2000). These national standards were for federal and state insitutions to have guidelines in designing curriculum and assessments. Also these standards would help promote the professional develop of teachers. How do assessments based on language proficiency standards promote language learning? According to the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) assessments are defined as , â€Å"The use of instruments and procedures to gather dataRead MoreThe Problems Of American Schools Essay1995 Words   |  8 PagesAndrew R. Deras Dr. Jide Osikomaiya English 100 8 September 2016 The Most Compelling Problems In American Schools As we delve back into a new year for students and teachers alike returning to school to continue with the daily life of academics and learning, we all must be understanding of what exactly we are sending our peers and children back to. It should be no surprise to most of us that throughout the years we have seen countless upon countless examples from the news and through others, that