Research Paper on Standardized Testing

Research Paper on Standardized Testing

By: Adriana Mitreska

April 5, 2012

In general, my topic is basically about how standardized testing can have an impact on students learning that can be either good or bad. This kind of testing is hard for students because we are expected to get high marks, but this should not cause competition between schools from around the world, if we do get high grades. We need to do what is best for everyone. This should not determine how a good student is academically or not based on doing tests.

The first source that I found was basically about how educational performance is affected by using standardized testing, and that not much is needed for improvement. With the help of teachers and parent guardians, we can achieve a much higher level for educational performance. We all need to work together as a group in order to make this more beneficial to students by achieving the government standard for averages.

In my second statement, I described how schools need a strong curriculum in order for students to be able to retain information in the long run instead of in the moment for high test scores. If you have a good curriculum standard, then students would have a better future because they can understand and remember things from their past and apply it to the future. This can even relate to the job you choose in the future because if you have a good memory then you can apply what you know to your job and you might find it to be easier.

In the third source, I found out that many students did not gain anything from doing standardized tests. So, what it is really the point of doing it? Well, you can achieve success by asking help from a teacher or they can request you to have extra help. Achievement is always possible for every student. Also, if you have educational diagnosis and instructions, it would definitely be beneficial for students, teachers, and parent guardians because you would know how to accomplish tasks correctly. 

In my fourth paragraph, I talked about how there was increasing dropout rates in schools because of grade promotion. With this policy in already in action, it did cause students to dropout but the students teachers are not related in this argument of students leaving schools. After learning about this, and how it has affected students, I think that this policy should be canceled because it has no beneficial effects for students learning habits.   

In this last source, it mostly states how educational measurements, if done correctly, can make improvements in schools and in the curriculum so that students can learn better and in a new way. This kind of strategy improves teaching methods and schools organization methods so that is good thing, because students will know more material and faster. Schools make up tests to make students feel more encouragement, but that might not be the case for most students because there will be more stress for most students. Some students will find that challenging to keep up with all those tests. So, I will somewhat agree to this policy because I can see how it could improve student’s learning in a more beneficial way but, there is also the challenging part to this strategy.

Overall, I think that we should not focus on the benefits it would have towards schools but instead to focus on how to help bring up student’s grades without being pressured   by our parents or teachers to how they think we should do. If students are over exhausted, then this can result in dropouts in schools (more specifically high school students).  Since this can cause dropout rates, I don’t agree with what standardized testing can do to students, either academically or emotionally.    

Sources:

Pasi, S. (2010). Rethinking accountability in a knowledge society. Journal of Educational Change;, 11(1), 45-61. doi: 10.1007/s10833-008-9098-2

  

Merrow, J. (2007). Up against the wall. Education Week, 26(41), 40-41. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=8&sid=a72bea6d-5988-441a-bf7a-70ccf6e527e0@sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==

Duffey, J., & Fedner, M. (1978). Educational diagnosis with instructional use. Exceptional Children, 44(4), 246-251. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=16&hid=8&sid=a72bea6d-5988-441a-bf7a-70ccf6e527e0@sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==

  

Allensworth, E. (2005). Dropout rates after high-stakes testing in elementary school: A study of the contradictory effects of chicago's efforts to end social promotion. Educational Evaluation & Policy Analysis, 27(4), 341-364. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=8&hid=8&sid=a72bea6d-5988-441a-bf7a-70ccf6e527e0@sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==

Williams, H. (1933). Some results of the testing movement. Education, 53(7), 417-420. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=8&sid=a72bea6d-5988-441a-bf7a-70ccf6e527e0@sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==