The Effectiveness of Standardized Testing in School

Within the last ninety-two years of standardized testing, many have argued that roughly ninety-three percent of students taking the SATs have found a positive effect on student achievement. However, their tests do not show the full maturity of the student nor do they show student's time management, how the study, or their work ethic. These tests are known for the ability of a student to take a standardized aptitude test and to see if the student is prepared for college. It is not an effective way of determining where the student stands on the scales of being ready for college nor does it show an accurate representation of who the student really is. It fails to contribute any part of the student's readiness for colleges such as time management skills, their study habits, work ethic, maturity, stress anxiety nor keep in part the meaningless time wasted if they do not get into their college of choice or the one the really wanted to attend. These issues show that these tests make the student worry more about whether or not they can truly live up to the means of a college student.

Generally, colleges use these scores not as the sole criteria but as a way to see the successfulness in the first year of college by students that they accepted. As modest high school students know colleges highly recommend taking these college entrance exams. A high school transcript speaks loud and clear what a student is capable of, but colleges push to have their fulfillment met with high test scores as well as a polished transcript. This finishes the polished overall look of the star student every college would love to have. Time management is one of the better indicators of one's ability to succeed in college than the SAT. Time management is when someone has the ability to use and control how to use the hours of the day to be productive. The SAT does not reflect the student's time management skills. It doesn't show how the student pace themselves. Each and every individual student has their own way of taking an exam. However does one truly know if the student flew through the section material or did they actually use their time diligently and become one with the test. Each student takes the SAT at the same time, reading the same material, but each student is equipped with different test-taking strategies which help them score in the area they want and find agreeable. This way of testing only shows the capability of a student and them just trying to get into college and not truly understand any material that is before them. There is a large study that compares students who did not even submit their test scores to colleges; they chose to opt out of the test score option.

In addition, this study confirms that the GPAs of these students are a better predictor for the entrance to college. Many students who have higher test scores but have lower grade point averages are far more likely to fall behind in college in comparison to those students who have low test scores but have a high grade point average. Many students are not test-taking machines. A major set back of the SAT is the major part of preparation. It is time-consuming and can be expensive if the student wants extensive tutoring and extra preparation such as an old test to practice with they have to find ways that may best fit them in the long run. Many schools do not offer a free practice for these types of test. Many students may not have the money to go and get a tutor or to prep for the test. They may go find something of limited resource and do the best they can with what they have. In addition to this, some students may even rely on the fact they have worked extremely hard throughout high school with extracurricular activities and doing these such as community service as well as being involved in other activities, volunteer services, community services. It would be a greater benefit for the students to not test the SAT because it gives more light upon who the student can be, what they can do, and how they can truly become more than just a piece of paper or a number in an envelope.

While it is important for students to understand the fundamentals of the SATs, colleges believe that they shine a light on positive implications regarding the student's academic success so a bad score on the SAT shouldn't imply it otherwise as well. The multitude of ways that a college could measure whether a student will be successful in college is beyond the probability of relief of many other students. There is too much importance set on the SAT. It continues to have importance not just on the admission of the student but also the purpose for scholarships and to determine the ranking of the schools Lemann gives a historical speech for the recent debates about the SAT. He describes in which the ways of the said test was to shape the development of intelligence in the early 1900s and in addition to the ideals of James Bryant Conant. The President of Harvard University, Conant sought to use educational testing to admit a more intellectual student body. Furthermore, the study habits of students vary. Many are visual learners while others can be told and they will understand. Many may say things aloud or that they make study the same material frontward, backward, upside down and every which way for them to understand. Others may lay out a schedule to study or even start with the most difficult subject matter first rather than to take the easy route. Too many students set a high goal for themselves they may not be able to achieve. Rather than pacing oneself to get a step by step process they jump feet first and hope for the best. In all actuality there the time to study and the time to actually take the test is far from.

Within that time span, you have about a month to take the opportunity and actually get help when needed. The honesty of it all, believe it or not, students may not even utilize that time even if it was for two weeks. Due to the high importance and pressure placed on these test the students may worry more rather than studying properly as well as anxiety the students may have. The SAT, hearing these words echoing through the mind of a student is enough to make them anxious. It forces them to think about the many possible ways they have to sit down for three hours and hope they get a good enough score to get into their favorite college. On top of the stress and anxiety that is bought within the test, they study hours on end for preparing to even take test, in addition to all of that is the stress brought upon them from their own parents to make sure they get a high score. Test anxiety can cometo anyone in any academic level, it can cause self-esteem issues and can be intimidating to the student. Students with severe test anxiety typically display a lack of self-efficacy and motivation in the classroom (Bembenutty, 2008). Test anxiety may and can cause students to avid studying which leads to the result of low test scores. Test anxiety may cause a bigger issue on the SAT rather in the classroom when taking a regular test due to the cause of additional pressure.

Futhermore, the feeling of being helpless, and the inadequency of answer that may be irrelvent to the test itself. In Mandler and Sarason (1952), the top 20% of scores comprised the high anxiety group and the bottom 20% of scores comprised the low anxiety group. Sarason et al. (1952) also dichotomized extreme anxiety scores, but the 15th percentile was the cutoff criteria. The high anxiety group performed significantly worse than the low anxiety group on the Kohs 8 block design test (Mandler and Sarason, 1952). So much rides on the student's performance. Stress can help but can hurt peformace It focuses and concentrates the mind and screens out any and all extraneous thoughts. But, anxiety affects the decision making of a student, negatively affect the student's score significantly. Guessing can become a bad habit to the student if they are not focusing nor actually reading the material of the test. Anixety builds and builds and they can no longer focus o the goal they are tryign to reach they stress and focus more on they anxiety they are going through. Work ethic all goes hand in hand when it comes to taking test this serious. The more effeot and time that students take to prepare themselves corralte them the test scores they reiceve. In which can be discrimative toward other students who have different ways of studying.

The overall way to take the SAT is to everything down to a T. Each student is different and is more lieky to do these they feel more comfotable with and what they know they can do to memorize or solve a math problem in a more easily less complex way. SAT scores of many high school students declined and now have raise the real question as to whether high schoolers are actually prepared for success in college, even the scores still remain to sink even to the lowest it has been since 2005. Each student has their way of how they do their work. Some can get it done within the first few hours of getting it and some may take more time to actually sit down and thoroughly understand and go through the material so they have a better concept of what they are doing. The SAT test students on vocabulary, mathematics, reading and muchmore. Maturity is one element of a student that colleges look at. Taking these exams show how they student is truly motivated, determined, well- rounded, and talented unique individual who can accomplish everything they come against. These test say they provide a barometer of what the extent of a student has been able to master the general high school curriculum. Is it true that students continue to have a greater access to educational resources and opportunities. That is a societal issue.In a response many college admissions departments have always sought to evaluate a student's credentials and achievements against that student's perceived opportunities. They maintain rigorous expectations of a student who has grown up with many privileges, and reasonably modified expectations of students who have overcome perceived disadvantages.

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