I have found out that some things in life just are not fair. One thing that I totally disagree with, but know I can’t change is standardized testing. I don’t think that they actually help anyone and it takes away from the learning going on when classes are supposed to be in session.
I have never been able to take tests well. Just ask some of my teachers from last semester… The whole multiple chioce thing doesn’t help. I always seem to choose the wrong answer. The sad thing is that I have found that I am not the only person that found out that tests are hard no matter what. I think that states are making it harder and more stressful for students by giving those tests. I always got so nervous when we had to take the MEAP and the ACT. I was so stressed out, it made taking those tests worse and hurt my scores. I think the pressure to do well on the MEAP came when the scores came and I didn’t get that scholarship money.
I think the pressure to do well on these tests hurts how students do, which makes the schools look bad because if the students don’t do well then something must be wrong with the school system and the teachers. I don’t think that is the problem, but those are the first things people think of when schools don’t get good reviews when the scores come out.
I hope that the state will take the scores a little less seriously and think of what is best for the students and I just don’t think that these tests are helping.
And that’s the opinion according to me…
Nicole's fabulous opinions! 
Candace Knight said
I think this is an interesting topic that every teacher should take the time to research, due to the attention and focus standardized tests are given by the persons with power. I think that it is a smart choice because as I research topics for this class there was a tremendously large amount of information on the topic. It is also a topic with two sides to it, which makes it more intriguing too.
I still do not understand how the educational system can apply one test to the multitude of students that pass through. There is no way that any students will learn the same topics using the same strategies, and many standardized test are set up to do just that. There is a particular way the information must be taught, producing one result.
You made a good point why you discussed the amount of time that testing takes away from other classroom learning. Schools are afraid of low scores, so that take extra time to go over MEAP testing and the specific stategies. The school I went to set aside two weeks to prepare for the MEAP. Too me, this was a huge waste of time.
Standardized tests completely disregard the fact that certain students are not great test takers. Some students do not handle the pressure well, and it seems to be unfair. Oftentimes, teachers told us that it was real world situations. They would compare the pressure of testing to the pressure of the work world. I think that they did have a point, but I believe that there are other ways to simulate this type of pressure.
This is a topic that I will be excited to follow throughout the semester. I think that you will be able to come up with enough sources and different thoughts to keep readers interested. I look foward to seeing what’s next.
Chris Cochran said
I completely share your feelings towards standardized testing. I don’t see anything wrong with a state trying to set standards on education to ensure that teachers are doing their job and students are learning. However, I can’t help but wonder if the ability to guess well on multiple choice questions or write in a format that you know the people grading you are looking for are really valuable skills our students must have.
I felt I needed to comment on this because I recently took the Michigan Basic Skills Test that you need to apply to the College of Ed. Once I got to the writing section, which was the last part of the test, I was ready to get out of there. I had been told that the test was pass/fail, and was pretty sure that they were just going to be making sure I could put an essay together, make a few points, and have some evidence to back them up. I wrote the essay in about fifteen minutes with little thought, and I am sure it will be good enough to pass. What does this prove? Well, nothing really other than my perfection of doing the minimum amount of work possible to pass these tests that I have crafted over the years. Does this prove that I am a better writer than someone who may not pass this section of the test? Not really. Hard for me to see the point then. Looking forward to more posts.
Kristie said
Hi Nicole,
I had to do a project for a Math class a couple of years ago. I had to research the curriculum for a third grade math class and report on what I found. I was amazed at everything the teacher had to cover, basically in preparation for the MEAP. I remember third grade was basically getting a firm grasp on multiplication. Now teachers are spending so much time on everything else required for the MEAP, that kids aren’t getting a firm grasp on the basics. This only hurts them later once they get to the more difficult math.
By the way, I used to work with your dad at D&W! Funny! Kristie
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