''Standardized Tests: Shouldn't We Be Helping Our Students summary - Essay Example

This is a critique of Eric Boese’s article en d, Standardized Tests: Shouldn’t We Be Helping Our , which suggests that standardized tests “have become … more destructive component of schools“ because primary schools currently confuse high scores in these tests with students learning. Importance is put to these tests because the government, through performance-based bonuses and intervention or closure threats on schools, pressure teachers and administrators to help students get high standardized test grades.

The pressure on teachers are then passed onto the students. Boese used Kleiner’s words to give an example: “Twenty-eight states now use standard exams to determine graduation and 19 to govern student promotion.” Kleiner, Toch and Wagner went onto saying that the stress caused by these standardized tests promotes cheating among students, with their teachers and school administrators as facilitators. Instead of teaching students skills and concepts, they make the students memorize. In addition, not only are the time in the classroom compromised by mere teaching of memorization, even out-of-classroom learning such as field trips and elective courses are ignored to give way to more time teaching the students how to score high on standardized exams.

Indeed, these arguments point to the adverse effects caused by the current standardized tests. I agree with Beose in the potential adverse effects of how standardized tests are currently being handled. It is highly likely that what they learned from studying for these exams, may be forgotten years, months, or even after a few days after the test was taken. What will stick, if taught properly, will be skills such as time management and logic. These can be taught, even better, with the use of other learning approaches that does not compromise learning other skills and attitude such as building interpersonal relationships and honesty.

For example, cooperative learning help the students think supporting or objecting arguments to an issue while learning socialization and proper communication at the same time (Duckworth, 2010). References Boese, Eric. “Standardized Tests: Shouldn’t We Be Helping Our Students?” Duckworth, Allison Hardin. “Cooperative learning: Attitudes, perceptions, and achievement in a traditional, online, and hybrid instructional setting.” Diss. U of Southern Mississippi, 2010. Web. 29 May 2011.