Standardized Tests Do Not Mess Up
The Pony Express Editorial Board
The Pony Express Editorial Board
Despite being a common occurrence in K-12 schools, standardized testing has never been an accurate measure of the knowledge students have acquired during school.
In California public schools, the Smarter Balanced Assessment System, a standardized adaptive English and math test, is given to students in grades 3-8 and high school juniors. They also take the California Science Test in grades five, eight and once in high school.
Standardized testing has proven time and time again that it is pointless, especially for students with learning disabilities. Even with accommodations that “level the playing field,” the format of the test does not always allow students to show how much they have actually learned throughout the school year. Students with learning disabilities often thrive in their classroom environment when they prepare for their assessments, and standardized tests do not allow for them to prepare themselves in a way that would set them up for success.
In addition, testing environments can induce anxiety, causing students to lose focus as the pressure increases. Not only that but students are often tested on topics learned a year or two ago, as opposed to the current material, causing students to become stressed since they have been focusing on the present year’s content.
Along with the pressure that is being put on students by their teachers, additional time has to be taken out of the school day to allow students to take these tests. As a result, it takes away from students learning the curriculum that is already set by district leaders and it disrupts lesson plans that allow students to stay on track, especially in AP classes.
Another thing that adds to the stress and annoyance of standardized testing is the school’s lack of preparedness and organization in administering the tests. The school has proven multiple times that its system of handing out standardized testing has many flaws. For example, current seniors had to take the PSAT their junior year, in 2021, instead of their sophomore year because of the pandemic. The class of 2023 then took the same PSAT test as the class of 2024 but one day after, resulting in the current seniors having to grade their own tests. Because of this, current seniors were unable to get an official test score from the College Board, meaning that they had to overcome many additional obstacles to become eligible for scholarships and awards that are given based on official PSAT scores.
Along with the PSAT, a few different testing rooms were given the wrong SBAC test last year, according to administrators, and they were given a pass the next day to go to the library during FLEX to take the proper SBAC test. Many students wrote in their assigned essay area that they had already written an essay and to refer to that one instead since they didn’t want to write another essay, making the second “proper” test an additional waste of time.
Overall, standardized tests create a situation where the state and district want to see how students are doing, however many students, including ourselves, find it to be a disruption and a waste of time. The state has no incentive for students to perform well, and even then, there would be doubts about how useful the testing data actually is. Instead of these tests, the state should look at our grades, GPAs and the work we do inside our classrooms. Why waste our time outside of our regular classroom environment, when we could be continuing to learn valuable material that will actually be useful to us? The bottom line is that there are much better ways to measure students’ knowledge and learning, not just in a pressurized testing environment such as the SAT or SBAC.
In California public schools, the Smarter Balanced Assessment System, a standardized adaptive English and math test, is given to students in grades 3-8 and high school juniors. They also take the California Science Test in grades five, eight and once in high school.
Standardized testing has proven time and time again that it is pointless, especially for students with learning disabilities. Even with accommodations that “level the playing field,” the format of the test does not always allow students to show how much they have actually learned throughout the school year. Students with learning disabilities often thrive in their classroom environment when they prepare for their assessments, and standardized tests do not allow for them to prepare themselves in a way that would set them up for success.
In addition, testing environments can induce anxiety, causing students to lose focus as the pressure increases. Not only that but students are often tested on topics learned a year or two ago, as opposed to the current material, causing students to become stressed since they have been focusing on the present year’s content.
Along with the pressure that is being put on students by their teachers, additional time has to be taken out of the school day to allow students to take these tests. As a result, it takes away from students learning the curriculum that is already set by district leaders and it disrupts lesson plans that allow students to stay on track, especially in AP classes.
Another thing that adds to the stress and annoyance of standardized testing is the school’s lack of preparedness and organization in administering the tests. The school has proven multiple times that its system of handing out standardized testing has many flaws. For example, current seniors had to take the PSAT their junior year, in 2021, instead of their sophomore year because of the pandemic. The class of 2023 then took the same PSAT test as the class of 2024 but one day after, resulting in the current seniors having to grade their own tests. Because of this, current seniors were unable to get an official test score from the College Board, meaning that they had to overcome many additional obstacles to become eligible for scholarships and awards that are given based on official PSAT scores.
Along with the PSAT, a few different testing rooms were given the wrong SBAC test last year, according to administrators, and they were given a pass the next day to go to the library during FLEX to take the proper SBAC test. Many students wrote in their assigned essay area that they had already written an essay and to refer to that one instead since they didn’t want to write another essay, making the second “proper” test an additional waste of time.
Overall, standardized tests create a situation where the state and district want to see how students are doing, however many students, including ourselves, find it to be a disruption and a waste of time. The state has no incentive for students to perform well, and even then, there would be doubts about how useful the testing data actually is. Instead of these tests, the state should look at our grades, GPAs and the work we do inside our classrooms. Why waste our time outside of our regular classroom environment, when we could be continuing to learn valuable material that will actually be useful to us? The bottom line is that there are much better ways to measure students’ knowledge and learning, not just in a pressurized testing environment such as the SAT or SBAC.