Final+Research+Paper

Good or Bad: The Affects of Standardize Tests Victoria Johnson Senior Seminar Fall 2009 Mr. Martin A Block Day 1

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank the people who helped me with my paper and the people who helped me put everything together. I would like to thank one of my closest friends, Tenijua Dix, for helping me make revisions to my paper. I would also like to thank my mentor, Miss. Marilou Watson, for helping me get ideas together for starting my paper. I would also like to thank the members of my senior seminar class for helping make revisions to my paper and helping me put together my thesis statement. I would also like to thank Dr. Valenza for showing me all the different sources that helped me put together my research paper and Mr. Martin for helping and supporting me throughout the entire paper. Finally, I would like to thank the students from the class of 2010 in inspiring me to do my senior seminar project on standardize testing. Thank You to everyone that helped me! I really do appreciate it!

Standardize tests are something that most people don’t want to take. They put pressure on many students and make them feel like they are being punished. Students are required by law to take standardize tests. The reason why is because students have to be tested in order for schools to see what level they are on. Even though testing is a requirement, many people don’t realize how students are affected by these tests. Students are becoming more stressed out over these tests every year. Not only are students dealing with these tests, but teachers are affected by these too. Some teachers might not be affected by these tests, but many English, Math and Science teachers are. They have to teach the material that is expected to be on a test. They might not agree with how they have to teach, but they have no choice. Parents also are working with teachers and students to find out why students have to take these tests. Students are worrying too much about how their standardize tests scores will change the way schools look at them; they change their lives in negative ways. Since students don’t have a choice on whether or not to take standardize tests, they are worrying too much and they start to lose interest in school. Students that never use to have to take tests to get into college had more confidence in themselves to do better. They didn’t have to worry about what people would think of them if they didn’t do well. Students have a lot of pressure on them because they have to live up to their school’s reputation. Many students start to lose confidence in themselves because they have failed their tests. Standardize testing has changed the way students look at school because they are being forced to take tests that won’t show what they can really do. The dropout rate has been increase dramatically over the years because students have been failing their tests (Solley 2). When students drop out of school they have to be at least eighteen years old or have parent permission. Many students end up becoming home schooled but what many don’t realize is that they still have to take mandated standardize tests. Students are losing interest in school every day and feel as though they might never amount to anything. They shouldn’t have to worry everyday about passing tests, but many of them find it a waste of their time.

Students that fail their test end up giving up too easily because they feel like it’s a waste of their time to retake the test over and over until they reach a certain level where they can pass their grade. There are many students that don’t realize that they have to retake standardize tests if they fail. Most schools require that they retake the tests in order to make it to the average level within their school (Berliner 2). Some schools don’t require students to retake the tests because they feel as though the student tired and that’s what matters the most. But there are schools that push out students that have not met their requirement because they want them to go to a different school that many students are on their level. “Pushing out the weakest students helps to raise the scores at a school or in a district. School administrations drop or push out students through various means: they suspend certain children, or move them to another school mid-year so that their scores will not have to be counted” (Berliner 3). Pushing out students is not something that the district should be doing. The districts should be trying to help the students instead of pushing them away. If these tests are causing school districts to do this, then the students shouldn’t be taking them. They should be working more with the students hands on instead of questioning them so much. Students might be the ones taking the test, but they are not the only ones that are affected by them.

Like students, teachers are affected by these tests as well. Teachers are hired because they like to help. They have picked a grade level and subject to teach other students. When they have picked to teach math, science, or English classes, they might not have realized what they have to do. Their jobs are to prepare students for the next step in life. They help out whenever they need to and learn from their mistakes. Teachers also have to prepare students for standardize tests. In order to do so, many schools require their teachers to teach how they tell them to. Many teachers try to reach out and connect with their students by listening to how they feel on taking standardize tests. They don’t want the students to concentrate too much on their grades because they know that it’s not going to help. “If they focus on test scores, they're focusing too much on data and numbers. But if you have this class, when they become adults, they'll have better skills, they'll have better relationships, they'll know what to do when there's conflict” (//Focus on Social and Emotional Health Raises Test Scores// 2). Teachers won’t be with their students forever so they help them prepare for what they are going to be doing in their future. Teachers have been realizing that when they connect to their students they grow up to be strong adults. They never needed tests to show that. Along with the teachers, parents are starting to show some concern with their students taking tests.

Parents are also another group of people who are starting to realize that testing is holding their students back. Parents know that their students will be able to succeed but if these standardize tests are holding them back; no one will ever be able to see their full potential. Students that are working hard every day in order to becoming better people are becoming held back because they haven’t been able to show what they can do. Since the tests are multiply choice, students are not able to show what they know. Many students tend to guess when it comes to answering questions because they don’t take the questions seriously. On the other hand, some students do take the tests seriously and their parents can tell. Parents can see that their students might be preparing themselves for the tests by studying or reviewing their work, while many are not. Parents have been working more with their kids because they want them to be successful (Hopper 1). When parents get involved in their students work, students will do better. Parents can’t prepare their student fully for a state’s assessment tests because they don’t know what the test is going to be on. Parents believe that there should be another way to test the students that are struggling to pass. Some parents and teachers agree with standardize testing even though it wouldn’t be their first choice in testing their students.

Even though students don’t like taking tests, the tests allow others and the student see how well they are doing in school and what they remember. The reason why students are taking standardize tests is so that their school and their future college can see what kind of student they are. Colleges are able to see the ability of the student when they have to answer questions and when they have to write an essay. Students that are not good test takers are at a disadvantage because of this. If colleges are looking at students because they are good test takers, they are not going to know what kind of student they could have had. Colleges are going to be missing out on students that could have made a difference in their college but they were not accepted because the school would look bad if they did. Schools are misjudging students more because they believe that they are not going to make the school look good because of their test scores. If the acceptance level goes down colleges feel that they will be looked at in a negative way if they accept someone that doesn’t level up to what they are looking for in an application. Some schools do allow interviews because they want to get to know the person before they make their decision, but there are still a lot of colleges that don’t do that. These colleges are not giving students a chance to show who they really are and prove to the administration office that they can do it. Even though there are colleges that don’t look at test scores they tend to be a little bit more expensive. If students don’t have an equal opportunity as another student that is good at taking tests, then they will never have the same advantages as the next.

When students start to study too hard for standardize tests, they tend to forget about their other school work that needs to be done daily. Most students are trying to do their very best on standardize tests that they forget about other things that are important. They forget that they have to keep up with the rest of their school work and study for their other tests. When students start to forget that they have daily work that needs to be completed their grades start to drop dramatically. When grades drop colleges are looking at that too. Some students don’t realize that the grades that go on their transcripts are just as important as everything else. Schools want to see that a student can balance everything on their own because that’s all they will be doing in college. College is preparing students for the rest of their life and when they are not able to handle it, they will suffer. Tests are not the most important thing in school. They are used throughout the year to make sure the students understand what’s going on and to prepare them for a mid-term or for their final exam. When students study too hard they don’t remember the day of the test what they studied. When students read their notes every night they will know and pick up the information a lot easier. Students that concentrate on their test scores they are not realizing what they’re getting themselves in to and some teachers and parents start to become concern.

When students start to fail their classes because of their testing in school, most teachers will call home or send a parent/guardian an email. Teachers will start to worry about if there is a problem with their students. When students find out that they are failing, they will most likely start to panic. They don’t want to lose what they have because they are not doing well in school. Most parents end up taking away privileges from their child if they start to do badly in school. Students don’t want to have to go through a change in their daily lives because their parents are making them. When parents get involved in their child’s school work, students become pressured into doing better because they want to stay involved in school. Some parents make their children come home right after school instead of allowing their student to get involved. Students then don’t get a chance to get involved in their school’s activities. After school sports, activities, or clubs are major things that students will be looked at for college. Grades are not the only thing that make the student and when standardize testing occurs, students lose track of that. They tend to forget that testing should not run their lives, even though many of them are being looked at differently because of their scores.

When standardize testing occurs in schools, many students forget that they also have to get involved in their school. When students don’t participate in their school, they tend to lose track of most things. They feel as though testing is the only thing that is important. Even though many students are working hard every day in order to pass their tests, they can’t forget about their extracurricular activities. Colleges are looking more at students because of how they get involved. When students work in their communities, colleges notice it. Colleges start to realize that the student gets involved, but standardize testing is keeping them from it. Standardize testing might not be all year long, but the thought of it is. Students have to take certain tests for their school and especially for college. When they don’t have the opportunity to do something that allows them to rest and relax, they become overwhelmed (Shai 1). Students that become too overwhelmed start to feel like they are wasting their time with school. Schools don’t want to see students leave and give up. School is an environment in which a student should feel comfortable to come in and learn. They shouldn’t be stressed out too much and have to worry about things causing them to lose interest in school. Some people find it that testing students is beneficial, but they haven’t thought about what it’s doing to the students. They don’t want to have to stop playing sports, working, or getting involved in their schools or community in anyway because of standardize tests. Testing is important, but they shouldn’t be causing students with so much stress if many won’t benefit from them.

Testing is a major issue throughout the country. In many states people are questioning whether or not students should have to take standardize tests. The tests were made to make sure students are on the right track. They are supposed to help the student by making them push themselves into doing better in school. If they are supposed to be helpful to students, then why are people questioning the tests? People can say many different things, but the main reason is because of the outcome of the tests (Shai 1). Most students hope for money for college after taking some standardize tests, but they don’t receive any. Some students will receive scholarships because of their scores or because of what type of student they are.

“For many students, college education is an entirely private matter, undertaken with their own funds for their own purposes. The government has no justification for testing these students because they get no money from the government. Everyone in such situations who does not receive individual financial aid would still have to take the tests but would receive no direct benefit from them” (Shai 1).

Since many students are not receiving financial aid from their test scores results, some people don’t think they should have to take them. Standardize testing is required by many colleges/universities, but shouldn’t be something that students worry about every day. Students should not have to take them if they are not required for college. If students are not going to be judged by some schools, why should they have to take them? If their high schools are not holding their scores against them, why should they have to take them? These are two out of many questions that students, parents, and teachers have been asking themselves. Students should not have to worry about taking standardize tests if the tests are not going to help the student in any way. Testing is only making many students feel pressured. If parents want their students to take standardize tests then there should be something offered separately. Why stress students out more during school than they have to be? Students should be able to decide whether or not they take these tests and if they chose to, then it should be offered separately and not during school hours.

Being a student who worries a lot about my test scores, I change my life in any way in order to pass. When I was in eleventh grade and knew I had to take the SATs, I had to stop doing certain things. I couldn’t go to work or attend after school meetings on a daily basis. I saw that my job was interfering with my studies and had to stop working. I had to make hard decisions in order to do better in school. The SATs is a long test that allows colleges to see a student’s ability to do math and show their grammar, reading, and writing skills. This tests caused to me question how colleges look at a student because of their test scores and not who they are as a person. Many colleges don’t offer interviews so they will never get to truly know a person until they are an actual student. I shouldn’t have to stop working or stop getting involved my school because I have to worry about standardize testing. Testing should not cause students to feel as though they have no choice but to stop doing the things that they love to do. In order for most students to play sports, be members in certain clubs/organizations, or even work, they have to keep their grades up. This motivates many students, but some of them might be bad students like me. Not everyone is a good test taker. There should be other ways in which people can show what they can or can not do. Testing should not be the answer to every problem.

In conclusion, students are worrying too much about how their standardize tests scores will change the way schools look at them; they change their lives in order to pass their tests. Schools throughout the nation require that students take standardize tests throughout the year because they want to make sure that their students are on track. No school wants to see their students not make progress throughout the years. What many schools don’t take into consideration is that testing is affecting teachers as well. Testing is something that some teachers have to make adjustments into their lesson plans. They have to change the way they are teaching for the students. Since a teacher’s job is to teach and help out the students, they have to prepare them. Not only are teachers concerned, but parents are too. When parents get involved into their child’s work, the child is pressured more and is looked at to do better. Parents are trying to show that students shouldn’t worrying about taking standardize tests because testing is something that they will always have to do. Students are changing their daily lives in order to pass their tests. No student should have to stop doing something that they enjoy because they have to take a test. Sports and other after school activities are just as important as taking standardize tests. Colleges might be looking at their scores, but they are also looking at how the student reacts to taking these tests and how their lives are impacted. Standardize testing shouldn’t be something that is required if it’s not going to impact the student. Standardize tests should not be the main concern of students. They need to concentrate on their other work as well and not have something like this affecting them every day. Standardize testing is good, but it’s not necessary if it’s going to causing major changes in a student’s life.

Works Cited Berliner, David C. "Why Rising Test Scores May Not Equal Increased Student Learning." //Dissent Magazine// 3 Nov. 2008: n. pag. Web. 22 Sept. 2009. . "Focus on Social and Emotional Health Raises Test Scores." //The Online News Hour// 21 July 2009: n. pag. Web. 22 Sept. 2009. . Hopper, Don W. "Standardized Testing and Assessment Improve Education." //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center//. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Web. 18 Sept. 2009. . Shai., Bronshtein D. "Assessment Through Standardized Testing Isn't Recommended for Colleges." //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center//. Ed. Roman Espejo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Web. 18 Sept. 2009. . Solley, Bobbie A. "Standardized Testing Has Negatively Impacted Public Schools." //Opposing Viewpoints: Education//. Ed. David M. Haugen. Gale Group, 2009. Web. 9 Oct. 2009. .

Works Consulted "Standardized Testing Has Serious Limitations." //Opposing Viewpoints Resource// //Center//. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Web. 18 Sept. 2009. . Tomsho, Robert. "College-Entrance Test Scores Flagging." //Wall Street Journal// (Aug. 2009): n. pag. Web. 22 Sept. 2009. . Wetzel, Bill. "No More Tests! ." //SIRS Knowledge Source//. N.p., Nov.-Dec. 2002. Web. 18 Sept. 2009.