Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing (Research Paper Sample)

Pros and Cons of Standardized Testing
Name
Institution


Explain the pros and cons of standardized testing in all schools
A standardized test refers to any single test given to different test takers under the same conditions, in the same approach, using the same grading system. It has its roots back 15th and 16th centuries, where sports like archery and horse riding required standardized testing because of the enormous number of participants. Most historians agree that the cradle of standardized testing is China. From China, it then spread to nearby countries colonized by Britain, before spreading to Britain’s mainland, America and the rest of the world. The mode of testing has been adapted in schools for admissions. Its credibility is, however, still in question as it has elicited an array of demerits amid its benefits.
The major advantage of standardized testing is its elimination of bias. Previously, in admission to colleges, students were required to present with their high school transcripts as the key requirement. This, however, proved to be an unreliable qualification assessment strategy, as the exams in different schools were of different degrees. This meant that, in a given college, students admitted to the same course might not be on the same intellectual station. Some high schools made their exams, particularly easier than their counterparts’ did in order to give their students an upper hand during admission. Even with the absurd assumption that different schools with different examiners can set a more or less similar test, the grading system of individual schools, vary greatly, as well. An ‘A’ in school B can be regarded as a ‘B’ in school F, for various reasons, including maintaining high academic standards.
Furthermore, standardized testing has helped students to know what to expect. Students who are disadvantaged socioeconomically, academically or even physically can get equal opportunities of admission to colleges and universities. This is because standardized tests, SAT for instance, has a fixed curriculum that enables a student to plan well for the exam compared to a normal school test with a wide, unpredictable curriculum (National Foundation for Educational Research in England and Wales, 1966).
“All that glitters is gold” holds true for standardized tests, as well. The knowledge of the curriculum has hoodwinked teachers in schools to concentrate majorly on the test rather than enrich the learner holistically. The learner also tends to neglect those areas of the curriculum, if taught, that are not going to be examined in the standard test. This upbringing leads to students who are test-oriented; a feature that is disadvantageous in the contemporary world. Truancy levels can be associated with standardized tests, especially in the senior years where learners know what to ‘read to pass’ tests, hence discard the classes they perceive they no longer need. Moreover, not all students are at the same level, academically and socioeconomically. This poses the concern as to whether a student with access to a library, a private tutor and internet resources should be graded on the same test with another who relies solely on the teacher and...