2008 Woodie Awards
Is school testing effective? YES
Students learn better when tested on the material
By: Noraly Hernandez
Issue date: 4/28/05 Section: Insight
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Although no single test should be used to determine a student's skills and abilities, standardized testing allows for a general and practical indicator of the success or failure of the education system in American schools.
According to FairTest: The National Center for Fair and Open Testing, standardized tests are designed to give a common measure of a student's performance.
Since there are a large number of students throughout the nation taking the same test, this type of examination serves as a common yardstick or standard of measure.
Educators utilize these standardized tests to tell how well school programs are succeeding and to determine the level of the skills and abilities found in today's student population.
Although the arguments against standardized testing may be compelling in arguing the fact that a single test cannot measure a student's capabilities, the truth is that there must be a way to set a standard by which students should be measured in order to determine what a student must know.
At EC, most entering students must take an English and mathematics placement test. The reason behind this examinations is to help determine where a student stands according to the college's standards for these subjects because previous schools may have lower or higher standards for the same subjects.
The same reasoning can be applied to the examination being given to students across the nation.
Given that the government funds public education, it must ascertained as to which schools are successful in their educational programs and which are not, through setting standards.
In an effort to get American students in kindergarten through the 12th grade to perform at their grade level, the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" was created.
According to the Act, schools receive funding based on the students' performance on standardized testing.
That is, schools with high test scores are rewarded with bonuses in the form of funds, while schools with low test scores are put on probation and may lose funding if their test scores do not improve within a given amount of time.
According to FairTest: The National Center for Fair and Open Testing, standardized tests are designed to give a common measure of a student's performance.
Since there are a large number of students throughout the nation taking the same test, this type of examination serves as a common yardstick or standard of measure.
Educators utilize these standardized tests to tell how well school programs are succeeding and to determine the level of the skills and abilities found in today's student population.
Although the arguments against standardized testing may be compelling in arguing the fact that a single test cannot measure a student's capabilities, the truth is that there must be a way to set a standard by which students should be measured in order to determine what a student must know.
At EC, most entering students must take an English and mathematics placement test. The reason behind this examinations is to help determine where a student stands according to the college's standards for these subjects because previous schools may have lower or higher standards for the same subjects.
The same reasoning can be applied to the examination being given to students across the nation.
Given that the government funds public education, it must ascertained as to which schools are successful in their educational programs and which are not, through setting standards.
In an effort to get American students in kindergarten through the 12th grade to perform at their grade level, the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" was created.
According to the Act, schools receive funding based on the students' performance on standardized testing.
That is, schools with high test scores are rewarded with bonuses in the form of funds, while schools with low test scores are put on probation and may lose funding if their test scores do not improve within a given amount of time.