The Support and Recognition Given to Standardized Tests - Research Paper Example

The effects of standardized tests on America’s Equality is a term used in everyday life by people. Christianity,Islam and Jewish religion that form the three major religions on earth also recognize the need for equality. These religions acknowledge that human beings were created in the image of God and thus are equal. Therefore, nobody is greater than the other. Moreover, most constitutions of the world and especially the American Constitution recognize that even though not everybody was born free and equal, every person is made equal to another, and thus every man is the image of the other (Crossley 1). Consequently, many people and various organizations have used the term for a long time to advocate for as well as champion for their rights, thereby making the word very powerful. For instance, various women’s suffrage, Civil Rights movements, among others have fought for equality for the human race no matter black or white, male or female, rich or poor just to mention a few. In America, the standards – based educational reform introduced the standardized tests in order to raise America’s standard of achievement in the education sector. This has been part of American education system from the 1800s and its use increased in 2002 after enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) that mandated yearly testing within the 50 states (McMeans 5). According to James Popham, former president of the American Educational Research Association, standardized tests refers to tests administered, scored, and later interpreted in a predetermined and standard manner (Higgins 12). The policy accorded high priority student performance with the aim of increasing student and school performance, thereby preparing American students to compete favorably for opportunities on the international stage. Proponents argue that standardized tests entail a fair as well as objective means of examining student achievement (Phelps 23). This makes schools and teachers more accountable to the taxpayers who are the parents. Therefore, standardized tests promote equality among students ensuring that all Americans pass a given tests in order to move to the next level. Despite the support and recognition given to standardized tests and the equality, it proves ambiguous since logically it is unattainable on earth. This is because when it is pursued beyond excellence or freedom, it can turn out to be very dangerous (Stahlman 242). The dangers of championing for equality beyond excellence are displayed in the story “Harrison Bergeron”, written by Kurt Vonnegut. However, opponents of standardized tests claim that the tests are neither objective nor fair and that their use encourages a narrow curriculum as well as drill like teaching to the test situation (Visone & EdD 95). Moreover, the tests compromise the ability of America to produce critical thinkers and innovators. Vonnegut in his story “Harrison Bergeron” clearly dwells on the theme of the dangers of total equity. He asserts that absolute equality is not a perfect and worth striving for by human beings (Dougherty 176). This is because it is a misguided goal that proves dangerous both in the execution and in its outcome. Therefore, the search for equality above excellence or freedom is very dangerous. This is because application of equality in some situations and in areas that it cannot and should not exist might restrict excellence as well as liberty (Harris, Bruce & Harris 56). This is because in life human beings are not equal in some things and will never be. According to Abraham Lincoln’s speech during the Declaration of Independence, people are not equal in size, colour, moral development, intellect, as well as social capacity (Crossley 2). Therefore, the fact remains that human beings are different in various things, in both physical and mental realms, and thus it is impossible to achieve total equality. Thus, just like in the Vonnegut’s story, standardized tests promote absolute equality. This is dangerous due to several reasons. First, the high stakes achievement tests have generated a lot of controversy since they carry very negative consequences for students, school, and teachers. This is because the tests have an inhibitory role in the lives of Americans (Jillian 565). For instance, low scores lead to severe consequences on schools, students, as well as teachers. Students who register low scores in the exams are barred from proceeding to the next grade level. However, since human beings are not the same with regard to intelligence, barring a student from proceeding to the next grade level is biased since not everyone has potential of mastering knowledge taught to the same standard. Due to the variations in intelligence, there occur disparities in student performance. Thus, setting a pass mark for the students is like recognizing that the students are equal and can therefore score the same in the exams. In addition, the adoption and recognition of the test scores in punishing and rewarding students and teachers has increased the need to score higher and thus have a surety of being permitted to move to the next grade level (Capp 28). Due to this desperation, teachers, students and schools encourages student cheating, and thus registration of high incidences of exam anomalies in America. Moreover, low scores among students of a given school can lead to the closure of an institution. It is bad to blame the school for failure of the student, yet it has no control in some situations. For instance, there are students who are poor learners because their intelligence is not similar to the quick or genius ones. Just like in the Vonnegut’s story, there are genius people like Harrison and his father, George (Vonnegut 45). Since there is the disparity in intelligence, the school has no power over nature, thus passing entire blame for student failure is being unrealistic. This is because the school cannot change one’s nature but can try to improve it to a given extent. Consequently, shifting blame to the school has encouraged school administrators to employ unorthodox systems to remain relevant and attain 100% NCLB’s proficiency (Stahlman 243). For instance, due to the fear of closure and firing of teachers, most schools encourage students not to sit for the exams, others are suspended or advised to quit, thus ensuring attainment of higher grades and performance. Further, firing a teacher due to student failure is also unrealistic since it anticipates for equality, which is non-existence (Jillian 568). Despite their role of molding a student to get knowledge, there is an extent that a teacher can impart knowledge on students. Due to variations in students’ intelligence, a teacher can try as hard as possible to ensure that every student grasps knowledge about a subject but since the level of understanding among students is different, some will grasp the full knowledge while others will grasp little or no knowledge at all. Thus, blaming such a teacher for dismal performance of the student is illogical since the blame should be leveled against nature for the variations in intelligence level among students. Standardized testing has failed despite the massive investments and even the establishment and adoption of NCLB in 2002 (Dougherty 26). Instead of improving American performance globally, the US rating fell from 18th to 31st position in math globally according to the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2009 (Standardized Tests 2). The same result was recorded for science. The failure is due to the ignorance of the policy makers and educationist to recognize variations in students’ intelligence levels for the entire period of implementation. Thus, despite their commitments and high levels of investments, students will never score the similar marks in examinations since they are not equal. Consequently, the reason for such failure is due to lack of knowledge by policy makers and educationists on the use and application of test-based incentives to steadily produce positive results as well as ensure improvement of education (Moon et al 4). This proves that no matter the situation is, human beings will never be alike even if they are related or otherwise. Despite championing for equality among students, standardized tests prove unfair and discriminatory. This because students from diverse backgrounds and who posses varied levels of skills answer questions written for the whites students who turn as out as majority (Standardized Tests 2). Consequently, the tests are biased towards English language learners who are expected to take the English test even before proper mastery of the language. The most inequality occurs when special education students take the same exams with other normal students. This is biased since normal students possess some features which give them advantage over special education students. Consequently, these students have accessible to few accommodations accorded to them as per the Individualized Education Plans (IEP) (Standardized Tests 2). Therefore, standardized tests need restructuring or elimination to avoid such problems according to the discriminations associated with it. Further, standardized tests only assess a small portion of the meaning and purpose of education. The areas include creativity, resilience, critical thinking, curiosity, enthusiasm, motivation, persistence, sense of beauty, self-awareness, civic awareness, honesty, courage, self-discipline among others (Capp 29). The areas neglected entail very important aspects of life that one must learn and apply in everyday life in order to lead a comfortable and happy life. Exclusion of these important components of learning coupled with administration of multiple – choice format tests has proved that the tests are inadequate examination tool (Jillian 566). The tests promote a simplistic manner of reasoning since there are only two answer options; right and wrong. Moreover, several studies have shown that the tests are biased by favoring male learners who excel in game point scoring with multiple choices unlike girls (Jillian 566). Since it is biased and fails to acknowledge and teach the important skills, the tests should be removed as they have little impact on the lives of students. Proponents of standardized tests claim that the tests are a perfect means of measuring student performance. However, the tests prove to be unreliable means of assessing student performance. According to Brookings Institution publication, the study established that 50 – 80% of yearly test score improvement was caused by fluctuations, which had no connection with long-term learning (Standardized Tests 2). Moreover, the improvements were temporary. Therefore, the effect of standardized on Americans is insignificant since it cannot be relied upon in the measurement of student performance. Moreover, standardized tests result in a situation called “Teaching to the test”, whereby good teaching skills get replaced by bad teaching methods such as drilling (McMeans 14). In drilling, both teachers and students are under immense pressure to produce good results. This makes them adopt other methods of achieving the targets thereby, compromising teaching of high order thinking skills and knowledge, which help in increasing students’ living standards, and well-being. Since it replaces good teaching and learning habits, standardized tests is bad for Americans as it produces incompetent and semi skilled students. In addition, NCLB standardized tests have significantly narrowed the education curriculum. According to a research conducted by the Center on Education Policy of 2001, 44% of district schools had shortened time spent on social studies, science as well as art subjects in order to concentrate on studying math and reading (Standardized Tests 2). The research clearly shows that standardized tests have compromised study of other important subjects like science, which improves the lives of students and people in general. Moreover, the majority of the Americans now concentrate on excelling in the standardized tests thereby spending more time on them at the expense of other subjects. The adoption of standardized tests on Americans has led to the use of instruction time for tiresome test preparation (Jillian 569). Most American schools now use more instruction time for preparation in order to prevent closure in case of dismal performance of students in the standardized tests. This shows how the majority of the schools fear facing the consequences of recording low grades thereby, allocating instruction time specifically for preparation of the exam. This is biased since students also need skills and knowledge of other subjects. Therefore, adoption of standardized tests has considerably affected the time for doing other activities, thus being biased. Consequently, standardized tests cause stress among young American students. The tests generate anxiety among the students, the bright and average ones. It also makes the children depressed due to the high expectation from parents, school, and teachers who do not want to be regarded as failures (Capp 29). Such high expectation leads to stress among students, thereby causing misery among the students while compromising their well-being. Since the tests cause stress and misery among the young students, they need to be removed in order to reduce exposure of the young people to stress, which is dangerous for human beings. Furthermore, the introduction of standardized tests has proved rather expensive and led to increased educational costs since the enactment and implementation of NCLB. This has increased the burden on America’s education budgets (Visone & EdD 97). The state spends massive resources in planning, implementation, and monitoring of the tests since it has a lot of expectation from the tests in terms of students betterment and grade improvement. In most instances, the amount of resources spent is not compensated by the results achieved as well as attainment of goals and targets, thus proving unworthy. In case the tests can be removed, the government can use the resources it spends on financing the tests to fund and initiate other competitive and productive development projects that can improve the living standards of the American people. This might lead to better living standards as well as increased well being of the people. Moreover, the heavy investment testing industry has been notorious for committing costly as well as time-consuming scoring mistakes (Standardized Tests 3). In spite of the massive investment, the industry does not appreciate the sacrifices. Instead, the industry causes a lot of inconveniences with regard to release of results, which have a lot of errors. For instance, the state spent over $250 million in the administration of the Florida’s Comprehensive Assessment Test yet the results were released one month late and comprised of several mistakes that were challenged by more than half of state’s superintendants (Standardized Tests 3). This proves that the test is not worth the investment so there is a need to remove it in order to reduce problems and resource wastage on such non-productive activities. Furthermore, excessive testing of students makes them good at handling tests while it blocks their ability to prepare, handle, and manage productive lives when they become adults (McMeans 56). This has contributed to the production of students who cannot handle future problems that might affect them in adulthood. Therefore, in order to save the situation, the government must remove the tests. Therefore, despite the massive investments and sacrifices by the government, the implementation of standardized tests for students is destined to fail since people are not born the same and with similar qualities and skills. Therefore, in case it is imposed, it can restrict the level of excellence among the citizens since people will be treated as equals disregarding the possession of outstanding skills and talents. Moreover, total equality might contribute to the limitation of liberty among students since one might not be allowed to do what he or she wants and thinks he or she can excel in. This situation makes life miserable and thus lowering living standards since the disadvantages are stronger than the advantages. Works Cited Capp, Ryan. "Process Skills Practice and Standardized Tests." Science and Children 46.5 (2009): 28-30. Crossley, Bethany. “The Gilded Trap: The Dangers of Equity” Biola. Web. Retrieved April 29, 2013 from http://youth.biola.edu/academics/torrey/courses/downloads/samples/2009essays/Crossley. pdf Dougherty, Eleanor. Assignments Matter: Making the Connections That Help Students Meet Standards, 2012. Print. Harris, Phillip, Bruce, M. Smith, and Joan, Harris. The Myths of Standardized Tests: Why They Don't Tell You What You Think They Do. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Pub, 2011. Print. Higgins, Michael J. "Standardised Tests: Wristwatch Or Dipstick?" Research in Education.81 (2009): 1-11. Jillian, Clark Stull. "Copyrighted Standardized Tests: Is there a "Fair use?"." Journal of Law and Education 35.4 (2006): 565-73. McMeans, Julia. Prepare & Practice for Standardized Tests: Language Arts. Westminster, CA: Teacher Created Resources, 2008. Print. Moon, Tonya, R., Brighton, Catherine M,. Jarvis, Jane M., Jall, Catherine J. “State Standardized Testing Programs: Their Effects on Teachers and Students.” The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Web. Retrieved on May 1, 2013 from http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/moonbrja.html Phelps, Richard P. Defending Standardized Testing. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005. Print. Stahlman, Rebecca. "Standardized Tests: A Teacher's Perspective." Childhood Education 81.4 (2005): 242-3. Standardized Tests. “Is the use of standardized tests improving education in America?” ProCon. Org. Web. Retrieved May 1, 2013 from http://standardizedtests.procon.org/#background Visone, Jeremy D., EdD. "Science Or Reading: What is being Measured by Standardized Tests?" American Secondary Education 39.1 (2010): 95-112. Vonnegut, Kurt. Welcome to the Monkey House: A Collection of Short Works. New York: Dial Press Trade Paperbacks, 2007. Print. Read More