Standard testing is used to measure the performance of students, The tests are often used to measure the level of academic preparation for high school students going to college or advancing their studies, yet it fails to consider the diversity of students, creativity, and their individual environmental backgrounds.
Having been a part of the education system since the 1800s, standardized testing grew in popularity after the “No Child Left Behind Act” was put in place in 2002.
Its usage declined, however, as early as 2020, primarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the adoption of test-optional policies by colleges.
The majority of students also feel that their academic abilities and achievements cannot be accurately assessed through these tests.
“I simply always felt it wasn’t the best representation of what I know and what I am capable of doing. Although I could continue to do well on standardized testing, I always felt that I could do better based on class performance,” senior Gabby Charidonna said.
In addition, there is a considerable difference in the impact of standardized testing in various areas. The differences are not only noticeable between public and private schools but also between lower and higher-income communities. The inequality does not reflect the student’s abilities, but the resources available to them.
Some students are advantaged in the sense of housing, parental income, and the quality of preparation that their school systems provide. Private schools, since they are not as restricted, can concentrate on getting their students better test scores, whereas state schools are bound by state regulations, often undergoing harder and more regular testing to satisfy governmental quotas to get more funding for their school.
“When I was at public school, I didn’t know my scores, it was just to get used to taking tests like this. At private school, we do take benchmark tests in our classes to see how well we’re doing and what we can do better on the overall standardized tests,” senior Maddie Hunsel said.
This strain would indicate that private schools may be occupied with attempting to better scores to further the futures of their students, public schools must deal with the stress of satisfying the government, which taints the overall goal of the education system.
High-stakes tests, which decide graduation and future opportunities, tend to intimidate and pressure students too much.
“The ACT is very stressful and I don’t think a score on one test should impact the rest of my life regarding where I get into school and how much that can impact my financial future,” said senior Olivia Orr.
Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT have always been better for high-achieving academic students, while testing is difficult for other students.
“I do think that there’s a purpose for the ACT to have a standardized test. There are some schools that are going back to adding the ACT as a component for acceptance, which just a couple schools, so I think having it be test optional is still going to be around for a long time for most schools, especially in Missouri, what I will say is, if they are taking out the ACT component, the schools are looking more heavily at your transcript. The ACT is also important for money based and merit scholarships,” college guidance counselor Mrs. Nero said.
While some schools are going back to requiring the ACT some teachers feel that it’s important for financial and merit based scholarships which do affect student debt.
Students acceptance is higher than ever and students feel as if certain schools are “easier to get into.
As more and more colleges become “test-optional,” there are more and more opportunities for students to show themselves through creative essay answers and challenged questions rather than relying solely on scores from standardized tests.
This realignment gives students means to highlight their achievements, thus having a better chance of being accepted into institutions of higher learning that were beyond their reach before.
Standardized testing remains the highly controversial topic of discussion between students and teachers, whose quality relies on the individual criteria of each institution and candidate.
