Does Standardized Testing Hurt Students
...Bush at a recent news conference represents the current philosophy of our government on education. In 2001 President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The new law is an updated version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) which was signed into law in 1965. Since then standardized testing has been a part of our school system in one form or another, yet there is little evidence that these tests have improved children’s learning through the years.
The premise of the No Child Left Behind Act is that every child has an equal opportunity for a good education. For this goal to be met, each state must bring 95-100% of children up to grade level in the core curriculum areas of reading, math and science by the year 2014. The goal is measured only by the scores students receive on the standardized tests adopted by their states. In addition schools that do not show adequate yearly progress on standardized tests toward this goal face sanctions such as loss of funding. In cases where schools do not meet adequate progress for two or more years the government can come in and fire or reassign the teachers and administrators. These strict guidelines have changed the spotlight from student learning to student testing. Although it is important for schools to be held accountable, when the focus is only on standardized tests to measure that accountability it takes away much of the creativity in the classroom.
According to Nancy Buell a forth grade teacher in Massachusetts, professional development meetings and trainings often focus on how teachers can improve scores on their state tests instead of asking questions like how to encourage a love for learning and critical thinking skills(NEA Today, 2001). Teachers must then ask themselves – in the face of standardized testing are they doing all that they can to not only ensure academic success, but also...
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