Against Standardized Testing Essay -- Standardized Testing Essays

There seems to be a dilemma in the educational system. In order to clear funding, a school system has to runnel its students annually.These tests be supposed to time the progress of the students and theschool system. But what is really measured with these scores? What do theyreally mean? Should children be tested as frequently as they are? And mostimportantly, should the ability to pass on to another mark off or to graduatefrom high school be ground on only one test? With so many questions arisingfrom these tests, the answer is to behave a stand against them.Perhaps a brief history will provide a better understanding of the standardizedtesting system. In the 1980s, the National Governors Associationpushed for verbalises to have performance-based obligation of their schoolsystems. Basically, states would grant schools more than flexibility in what andhow they chose to teach in return for more accountability for academicbasedperformance. In 1994, Title I, the largest federally funded educationprogram (http//www.doe.mass.edu), actually require that all states createperformance-based accountability systems for schools (Elmore 2). Now,with the introduction of the Bush administrations No sisterren LeftBehind, all states are required to annually test their students in order toreceive federal grants (Romano 1). In Bushs attempt to make sure that ourschools are held to a high standard, he is threatening their funding basedon their students performance. Not only are students grade advancementsand sometimes graduations dependent upon these tests, but so is the fundingfor their schools as well. Teachers can be dismissed or schools shutdown based on test performance. No pressure there, kids.W... ...ardized tests. Utahs officials were spontaneous to lose $76 million dollars infunding by decision making not to follow federal testing standards (Quindlen 2). Ifwe take a stand, is your state ready to be next?Works CitedElmore, Richard F. Testing Trap. Harvard Magaz ine. 11 November 2005. http//www.harvardmagazine.com/ print/090240html.Massachusetts Department of Education. Massachusetts Government. 11 November 2005.http//www.doe.mass.edu/Quindlen, Anna. Testing One, Two, Three. Newsweek. 19 June 2005. 4 November2005. http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8099819/site/newsweek/page/2/print/1/displaymode/1098.Romano, Lois. Test lots Move Little in Math, Reading. Improvement Appears SlightSince No Child Left Behind. 20 Oct. 2005. Washington Post. 1 November 2005.http//www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/19/AR2005101900708.