20 Standardized Tests Pros And Cons
Author: Dalia Yashinsky
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Concerns over standardized testing range from how reliable they are in reflecting students’ abilities, to how they could have potential negative impacts on students that may be knowledgeable but struggle with high-stakes test environments.
Two of the “Wicked Problems” I see in this text are: 1) the reliability of standardized testing for measuring students’ abilities accurately and 2) the potential negative impact of high-stakes testing environments on students who possess knowledge but struggle with the test itself.
It matters that standardized tests are reliable in accurately measuring students’ abilities because tests are used to determine college acceptance or grade promotion decisions. If these tests fail to accurately measure students’ abilities, then these decisions may not be reflective of student performance.
Quote from the text: “Concerns over standardized testing range from how reliable they are in reflecting students’ abilities…”
It is a problem that high-stakes testing environments may have potential negative impacts on students who possess knowledge but struggle with the test because it does not reflect the student’s true knowledge or learning potential.
Quote from the text: “…to how they could have potential negative impacts on students that may be knowledgeable but struggle with high-stakes test environments.”
This is a difficult and impossible to solve problem because it is uncertain how much of a student’s knowledge and learning potential is actually tested, making it difficult to recognize whether the results of these tests are accurate and fair.
Standardized testing’s accuracy in assessing kids.
High-stakes testing may harm kids who know the material but struggle with the test mini crossword
Still, there are advantages to standardized testing. Standardized tests can be immensely useful to gain a pulse on the quality of the curriculum, and whether it meets specified learning goals and objectives. Standardized tests also help point out areas for improvement in education, and emphasize aspects of students’ education that could be lacking.
There are many legitimate reasons to be in favor of standardized testing, as there are reasons to be against it. Let’s go over the top 20 pros and cons of standardized testing so you can decide for yourself whether you’re in favor or against standardized tests.
One of the “Wicked Problems” this text alludes to is how standardized tests are used to evaluate students. This is a difficult problem to solve because it is often unclear what reasoning should go into these tests. Should the tests focus solely on academic knowledge, or include skills like problem-solving and creativity? It is also difficult to determine just how much weight should be attributed to each area of the test, making it hard to effectively assign accurate scores to students.
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Pros of Standardized Tests |
Cons of Standardized Tests |
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PRO: They enable schools to track student progress. |
CON: A single test cannot sufficiently tell a student’s knowledge. If the student has a bad day, it sticks with them! |
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PRO: They help teachers to identify areas for improvement. |
CON: Standardized tests cause stress and anxiety for children. |
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PRO: They help keep schools accountable to policymakers. |
CON: Teachers ‘teach to the test’ which leads to the lower-quality rote learning method of teaching. |
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PRO: The uniformity of tests minimizes marker bias. |
CON: Poor test results can lead to low student self-esteem |
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PRO: Grading is efficient because it can be done by machines. |
CON: Low scores on one single high-stakes test can prevent you from getting into a good college. |
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PRO: All students take the same test which enables fair comparisons.
Jul 18
Mr. Jonathan Bennett's Question
Mr. Jonathan Bennett and/or Wicked Problem Coach
:
How is it fair for all students to take the same test, regardless of their backgrounds or special needs?
more
Wicked Problem Coach with Mr. Jonathan Bennett's edits:
Wicked Problem Coach
Identifies problems and says why they are important to study
This is a Wicked Problem because it is difficult to solve due to incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. For example, the text notes that “although it can be argued that all students should take the same test, some students may not be able to do so due to their special needs.” This suggests that a one-size-fits-all approach to testing may exclude certain students from receiving the same fair assessment as other students, making it difficult to have a fair comparison. This is an issue because a fair comparison for all students is a fundamental right, in order to ensure that students with special needs are not disadvantaged by an biased testing process. Quoting from the text, we can see that this is an issue as it says, “although it can be argued that all students should take the same test, some students may not be able to do so due to their special needs.” The second Wicked Problem is how to fairly assess a student’s encoding accuracy. This is a problem because it is difficult to measure and quantify students’ encoding accuracy, which can be a valuable skill for their development. Furthermore, the text also points out that “in addition, the difficulty in quantifying a student’s encoding accuracy may cause issues with creating a standard for comparison across different students.” This suggests that some students may struggle to record encoding accuracy data in comparison to their peers, leading to an unfair assessment process. Quoting from the text, we can see that this is an issue as it says, “in addition, the difficulty in quantifying a student’s encoding accuracy may cause issues with creating a standard for comparison across different students.” Do you agree? Are there any other Wicked Problems you see in the text?
Jul 18
Mr. Jonathan Bennett
Mr. Jonathan Bennett
:
The AI seems to give equal weight to both arguments, although the first one seems stronger. I don't know where they got their quotes from the passage.
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CON: Standardized tests privilege white middle-class students who historically know how to ‘play the game’ of standardized testing better than minorities. |
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PRO: Test scores are objective and not ambiguous or subjective. |
CON: Standardized tests cannot effectively cater to all learning styles. |
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PRO: Having upcoming tests that compare students can motivate students to study hard. |
CON: A single test score does not provide a comprehensive overview of a student’s abilities and value. |
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PRO: Standardized testing is consistent across schools and systems which keeps all teachers nation-wide on track. |
CON: Students learn to the test, meaning they will ignore any information or learning opportunities that are not part of the upcoming test. |
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PRO: Standardized tests encourage students to get into study habits that set them up well for college. |
CON: A test score does not indicate college readiness. E.g. Resilience and self-motivation are important factors that aren’t tested. |
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