Standardized Testing in Schools Is Not Effective

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Standardized testing has become a norm in American education. It has been decided that every student should be able to meet a certain goal. If not, they are below average and will have a hard time being successful in life. Children aren’t motivated to learn when teachers “teach to the test.” There has come to be an understanding that there is a certain level of knowledge demanded by society. Who decides this? Is this system effective? Standardized testing is not effective and has produced additional issues in the classroom. Children are not learning, according to standardized test scores. The government, parents, and teachers are trying all they can to come up with a successful solution. They all give our children the best education possible, but there are many different ideas as to how this should be accomplished. There have been many debates on this topic. Many claim “grades are statistically the most reliable predictor of future academic success” (Penn). The problem with standardized testing is that it does not agree well with education. Even Alfred Binet, originator of the intelligence test said himself, “It should not be used to prop up a theory of intelligence” and that it was “nothing more than a practical device” (“Intelligence Testing”) This includes motivation, teaching, and evaluation. The most obvious forms of motivation, such as bribes and threats, are ultimately more harmful than helpful. Some schools use diplomas as both a way of bribing and of threatening students to do well on standardized tests. Not only is this unfair, but it is destructive. When students are told that they will receive something in exchange for performing well enough, the real reason that they should want to do well is self-improvement. Unfortunately, this is lost. Bribes and threats turn learning into a chore, rather than an adventure, which results in students who

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