Standardized testing for primary school students

Standardized Testing in Primary Schools: Is it Necessary?

Standardized assessments necessitate that each pupil or candidate respond to similar questions. The aim of these assessments is to ensure that students respond to questions in a coherent and systematic manner. This study attempts to answer the question of whether mandatory testing is essential for primary school students in the United States. Teachers and students are unlikely to explore any of the subject areas in the syllabus since these assessments are drawn from a specific subject field. The aim of standardized tests is to measure students' relative results. This article would argue that mandatory testing for primary school children in the United States is unnecessary. The listed sources are useful for this research because they expose loopholes that should be addressed before making standardized testing necessary for U.S. primary schools. Kevin Finneran's Testy about Testing emphasizes on the equality of administering standardized testing regardless of a student's background. Moreover, standardized testing has been the basis of discriminating against minorities in the U.S. However, standardized testing is believed to help in orienting minorities to the U.S. Education system. Glovin and Evans' Standard Error point out the dominance of standardized tests in different learning levels. The inconsistency and inequality in administering standardized tests result in standard error when measuring student performance. However, standardized testing helps students to gain proficiency in a specific area of study.

The Impact of Standardized Testing on Inequality and Efficiency

Hawley Willis' NCLB and Continuous School Improvement argues that standardized tests segregate low achieving students and high poverty areas. Standardized tests encourage inequality and cause inefficiency in the education system. However, these tests require proficient students to represent the rest who may get low scores due to unpreparedness. David Hursh's Exacerbating Inequality pinpoints the inconsistencies in administering standardized tests. He notes that some students are left behind while others especially from privileged families are included due to the belief that they are well prepared compared to their underprivileged counterparts. However, standardized testing is administered to gauge a school's or student's performance hence the best are chosen to represent the others.

The Influence of Standardized Testing on Teacher Quality

Mary Kennedy's Sorting Out Teacher Quality entails stressful teaching conditions arising from standardized testing. Teachers are coerced to work towards achieving an ultimate score. However, standardized test gives teachers the mandate to guide students on the expectations of the test in order to prevent failure. Alfie Kohn's The case against standardized testing: Raising the scores, ruining the schools suggests the essence of exercising prudence while administering standardized tests to avert bias. The bias arises from the use of standardized tests in structuring teaching methods, student learning, and educational policies. However, standardized tests are reliable in allowing students to familiarize themselves with what they will expect and are administered procedurally after a teacher's assessment of the tested areas is complete.

The Comparison and Consistency of Standardized Testing

Thomas Misco's Was That a Result of My Teaching asserts that educational settings vary owing to the different learning environments that students are exposed to. Therefore, the tests should only measure student performance without necessarily comparing the scores. However, the comparison of scores enables teachers and students to recognize their weak areas and focus on them for improvement. Smolin and Clayton's Standardized Testing: How Prepared Are We emphasizes consistency in standardized testing to enhance the comparison of results. They argue that the inability to prepare students on the provided test areas results in failure, hence the need for increased teacher engagement. However, teaching schedules are interfered with as they cannot teach all that is expected of the student but rather what is provided for testing.

Sources and Credibility

The sources are credible enough for use in this research owing to the specialization of authors on the implications of standardized testing in U.S primary schools. Moreover, they are all scholarly, which I found in the ProQuest database. The sources do not pose any problems as they provide accurate and significant information that align with the research topic. There will be no additional materials needed since the sources already cover the varied limitations of standardized testing in primary schools.

Annotated

Bibliography

Finneran, Kevin. “Testy about Testing.” Issues in Science & Technology 19.2 (2003): 41-42.

The author emphasizes the importance of administering standardized tests to every student regardless of the background to enhance equality. Standardized testing has been used to discriminate against the minorities in the United States since they cannot easily access primary education like the natives. The source will therefore be useful as a reference in my research.

Glovin, David, and David Evans. “Standard Error.” IRE Journal 30.5 (2007): 21-22.

The authors point out the dominance of standardized tests in different learning levels and the impact it has on students. Standardized testing encompasses multiple errors since primary schools rely mostly on these tests to gauge performance. These errors are attributed to inequality and inconsistency in administering tests hence affecting the future success of a student. The source will be useful in ascertaining the balance that standardized tests create between student growth and achievement.

Hawley, Willis D. “NCLB and Continuous School Improvement.” Holding NCLB Accountable. Ed. Gail L. Sunderman. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2008.

The author proposes the need to help low achieving students and high poverty areas to enhance the straightforwardness in administering standardized tests. Despite that standardized tests are associated with innovative ideas; primary schools have failed to evoke changes that will ensure efficiency and equality in administering the tests. The narrowing of the curriculum alongside the achievement of authentic academic goals has hindered the success of standardized tests in primary schools. The source will therefore be helpful for my research.

Hursh, David. “Exacerbating inequality: the failed promise of the No Child Left Behind Act.” Race, Ethnicity & Education 10.3 (2007): 295-308.

The author points out the inequalities that surround standardized testing in the United States. Standardized testing should not be limited to those from privileged families while the underprivileged in primary schools are left behind. The emphasis is on consistency in administering the tests to enhance student performance. The source will be helpful in determining the essence of redirecting actual test scores to all students.

Kennedy, Mary M. “Sorting Out Teacher Quality.” Phi Delta Kappan (90.1) 2008: 59-63.

The author notes the stressful nature of standardized testing on teachers who have to meet every requirement to enable students attain a certain score. Standardized testing forces teachers to choose what to teach which affects the student’s ultimate score. The source will be helpful in understanding the effect of standardized tests on teacher quality.

Kohn, Alfie. The case against standardized testing: Raising the scores, ruining the schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000.

The author offers essential insights about the basis of standardized testing in U.S. primary schools. The use of these tests requires prudence to prevent bias during evaluations. Standardized testing compels the teacher to focus on the areas of the test while ignoring the rest hence hindering student performance in all subject areas. The source will therefore be useful for my research.

Misco, Thomas. “Was That a Result of My Teaching? A Brief Exploration of Value-Added Assessment.” Clearing House 82.1 (2008): 11-14.

The author suggests that the success of standardized tests in primary schools depends on educational settings. Standardized testing focuses on student improvement and success hence no purpose for comparing student scores. Student pressure to perform better compels the teacher to have every student on the same level, which is impossible. The source will therefore be useful for my research.

Smolin, Andrea, and Jennifer K. Clayton. "Standardized Testing: How Prepared Are We?" Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership 12.4 (2009): 29-36.

The authors highlight the essence of consistency in standardized testing to enhance the comparison of performance among students. Standardized testing involves selected questions hence student unpreparedness results in failure. The source will therefore be helpful for my research.

Works Cited

Finneran, Kevin. “Testy about Testing.” Issues in Science & Technology 19.2 (2003): 41-42.

Glovin, David, and David Evans. “Standard Error.” IRE Journal 30.5 (2007): 21-22.

Hawley, Willis D. “NCLB and Continuous School Improvement.” Holding NCLB Accountable. Ed. Gail L. Sunderman. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2008.

Hursh, David. “Exacerbating inequality: the failed promise of the No Child Left Behind Act.” Race, Ethnicity & Education 10.3 (2007): 295-308.

Kennedy, Mary M. “Sorting Out Teacher Quality.” Phi Delta Kappan (90.1) 2008: 59-63.

Kohn, Alfie. The case against standardized testing: Raising the scores, ruining the schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2000.

Misco, Thomas. “Was That a Result of My Teaching? A Brief Exploration of Value-Added Assessment.” Clearing House 82.1 (2008): 11-14.

Smolin, Andrea, and Jennifer K. Clayton. "Standardized Testing: How Prepared Are We?" Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership 12.4 (2009): 29-36.