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Standardized Tests

 

            
             Since the 1920's when "intelligence tests" were introduced through the 1960's when the development of aggregated data on student achievement began standardized testing has played an important role in U.S education. With each expansion the criticism grows about the reliability of the information and its use and misuse ("Testing in Schools", CQResearcher). Standardized tests should not be used for education purposes because they cannot be relied on for accurate information.
             Standardized tests cannot determine what a student is capable of doing, because the differences of race, class and resource for each student are not being considered (Standardized Tests For Children Not Yet! http://users.stargate.net/~cokids/standardtestsNOT.html). Not every student shares the same back round so the outcome of school work and the effort put into it is quite diverse. There are students in classes like ESL who hardly know the language and are involved in classes trying to teach them the basics of the English language and yet they are expected to take a test that even the average American does not understand. It has been said that standardized tests are biased in favor of middle-class students, mainly males in metropolitan areas, this because their parents can afford to send them to upper-class schools where the best educators are there to teach ("Facts on Standardized Tests and Assessment Alternatives" http://homepage.tinet.ie/~seaghan/articles/10.htm). They can also afford to have a private tutor on the side if extra help is needed. The majority of students in the United States unfortunately are not lucky enough to have this offered to them. Therefore, it is not fair to every student to take the test. The odds are against them.
             For the students who are in younger grades, such as kindergarten through fifth grade, it is hard for them to grasp the concept of the standardized test. They do not understand the so-called "importance" of the test.


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