Standardized testing does more harm than good
Standardized testing exerts pressure on students. Students are expected to perform well in those tests hence leading to uncalled for pressure. The weight makes students lose confidence in their abilities and skills. Worrying about performance in those standardized tests is reason enough to discourage the students in their academic life. Standardized tests are often viewed as a benchmark by parents. Parents whose children do not perform as per their expectations may be demotivated and end up hurting the children emotionally. Standardized tests stress parents and students. External factors are an essential element in learning. Standardized tests are one of the trials whose evaluation does not consider external factors such as home affairs and the results may not reflect the actual ability of the student.
Standardized testing may compromise the education sector because the ranking of students and teachers is solely based on performance. Teachers may end up teaching what is within the test only leaving out essential elements and ignore a deeper understanding of the subject by students. Training on what is to be tested brings monotony and boredom in the classroom. Monotony hinders creativity, and therefore the developmental milestones in learning may not be achieved. Standardized testing may also create teaching gaps. Students who are highly intelligent and perform very well in those tests are likely to attract less attention from the teacher since the teacher’s primary focus will be on the poor performing students to boost the overall mean grade. Teachers also tend to quit the teaching profession as a result of the pressure brought about by standardized testing.
Another limitation of standardized learning is that it creates a limited scope of knowledge. Standardized tests only test skills like reading, writing, and math. Standardized tests do not examine the creativity, imagination, commitment, and goodwill of students (Rubin & Kazanjian, 2011). These skills are essential and are needed in developing an all-around student. A standardized test is a one day test. Students learn continuously, and therefore standardized tests may not reflect the real potential of a student. A one-day evaluation is also a disservice to the teacher who has consistently put more effort into ensuring that the child has grown academically and socially too. Standardized tests are also question-based and test on remembering facts. Students tend to put more effort into cramming but not understanding the concept. Crammed information is likely to be forgotten after the tests, leaving learners with little knowledge.
Although standardized tests harm the education sector, it has some benefits to the industry. Standardized tests serve as a benchmark and can tell how a student or a school is performing compared to others in the country. Through uniformity in the standardized tests, subjective grading is eliminated. Bias when marking is done away with, and alteration of grading systems to favor students and schools is also reduced. Standardized tests help in pinpointing areas that need improvement. Standardized tests assess the effectiveness of the curriculum in use and act as a guide to teachers and students as it helps them know the areas they need to dwell much on. Standardized tests also provide an effective means of evaluating skills in areas like math, reading, and writing.