Standardized testing is a controversial test style for many people. Usually someone will either love it because of the way it is formatted or hate it because of the stress levels. I came across an interesting article that suggests because of both positive and negative aspects, standardized testing can play an important role in the advancement of students' education when used effectively.
Positive aspects:
1) Teachers are guided as far as what to teach students, resulting in better time management
2) Parents can see how their children are doing compared to other students of the same age locally and nationwide
3) Students' progress can be traced over the years
4) Since all the students in a school are taking similar tests, it is easy to compare members of the group (ex. boys compared to girls)
Negative aspects:
1) Teachers might be just teaching the test, that is, teaching the knowledge and/or skills necessary to do well on this one test rather than a complete subject
2) Some schools have cut away recess time in order to prepare for these tests (increased pressure to raise their test scores)
3) Stress on students and teachers, which can result in poor health and a negative outlook towards school
4) Extremely difficult to eliminate all testing bias
For me personally, I am not a fan of standardized tests simply because I feel they don't truly assess a student's knowledge. There are kids that are just better test takers than others and it doesn't necessarily mean that they deserve to go to a certain school more or will have more success in their future schooling. Standardized tests should not be abolished because they do offer some positive feedback, but changes need to be made so a student's and school's progress isn't based solely off of one test. For your viewing enjoyment here is a clip from the Simpsons about standardized testing!
