Standardized Testing Reform

Kun (Harvey) Xu
Denise Hubert
English 115-I06N02
June 13, 2006

The Reform of Standardized Testing System in North American Elementary Schools In the current decades, standardized tests have been widely accepted in North American elementary schools as reliable measures of educational purposes, and are a familiar and significant part of the classroom structure. Francis Galton, the founder of the late 19th century Eugenics Society, one of the fathers of ‘mental measurement’, rooted the modern standardizes testing system. This test first came to North America in 1916 by Lewis Terman’ book, The Measurement of Intelligence, which states that US needs a reform to increase intelligence testing (“History of standardized…show more content…
This testing is not appropriate to the child's emotional, psychological or intellectual improvement and to the variation in children's development. The standardized testing movement now consumes millions of dollars and hundreds of hours that could be better spent on basic educational resources such as textbooks, teachers and adequate support services. The costs of standardized testing are spread over the various students involved in the exercise and are not easily accessible that is a big economic load. Also, the standardized testing would have a trouble with raising students to be critical and creative thinkers. Finally, the most negative aspect is that the standardized testing is not a valid measure of learning for educating students because the inhibition of standardized testing for teachers and the learning materials that would make both teachers and students in a hole. The government needs to found a more reliable measure of performance with the appeal of validity, simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Also, those education technology such as home schooling need to be funded or supported by government as well. Therefore, although the standardized testing system was used to play an instructive, beneficial and important role in the educational arena, the deleterious effects of this testing…show more content…
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