Standardized Testing And The Classroom Environment

My English class when I was a high school junior was characterized by exactly what people complain about when they belittle standardized testing and the classroom environment it creates. Namely in the area of teaching to and gaming the standardized tests. New York had used its state based and standardized Regents curriculum for the entire time I was in my pre-college education and the peak of the English Language Arts curriculum was in my junior year of high school. To pass high school and get your diploma, the state mandated that you take and pass your English 11 Regents exam. It focused on general multiple choice questions based off of randomly selected passages, short answer questions, and one longer critical lens essay. The only part of the exam that used information taught in the classroom was the critical lens essay in which you had to take two works of literature that you have read and use them to analyze a given quote. Because of how important this exam was, it was offered tw ice in the year for us (which was unheard of in other classes) once in January and once in June. About a month and a half before the January test, my teacher stopped everything we were doing and went into â€Å"test prep mode†. This meant that all class time and activities were purely devoted to running through different parts of the test repeatedly until we effectively had memorized how to do that part of the test. After learning the layout of the multiple-choice section for theShow MoreRelatedStudent Assessment - The Importance of Standardized Testing Essay1149 Words   |  5 PagesThe point here is that standardized testing is necessary to evaluate students and programs achievement or ability. In my opinion it is a good basic start to understanding the development of human- kind in many aspects. For example, in a school setting, standardizing tests are used to measure developmental stages or reading levels, just to name a few. School Psychologist and Counselors use standa rdizing testing to look at the development of students. They will agree severe disabilities to be initiallyRead MoreThe Limitations Of Standardized Testing Essay705 Words   |  3 PagesThe limitations of â€Å"standardized testing† as a rigid and narrow criterion for gauging the educational capabilities of students in public education. The criterion for standardized testing relies on narrow areas of knowledge that define a hierarchical imposition of â€Å"intelligence† testing that forces the student to perform ion a constrained academic environment. This type of testing has become a mechanized tool to reject the individual needs of the student in a linear testing methodology. 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Teachers, like Gruwell and my second grade teacher, who inspire their students to think and discover their talents, are being replaced with teachers who obey the curriculum of standardized testing. A student no longer learns how to think on their own, instead they are forced to memorize formulas and testing strategies. A public school teacher in New York City e xplainsRead MoreThe Education System Of The United States1174 Words   |  5 Pagesexpectations. The use of Federal funding creates high stake environments, that effect students and teachers differently. With these high expectations for standardizing test scores, teachers are promised large bonus incentives in return. In 2009, schools were given the option to apply for funding by The Race to the Top Fund, and these expectations cause teachers and students to have high stress and anxiety in standardized school testing. 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Comparing standardized testing to a swelling monster that is taking over the school systems is a bit of a reach but there is some weight to this statement. Standardized tests have become so frequent in elementary and high school education that they have become the most important tool that is used by school boards and colleges to determine a student’s achievements, but how