Standardized Tests: What Are They Good For?
Standardized tests: what are they good for? Absolutely nothing (did you sing the song in your head?). But wasting money,
time, and sanity. I get why our country implemented strict standardized testing. The United States has fallen behind in both
reading and math with much of the first world counties and we wanted a way to improve our standing. Of course they would
come up with testing as a way to hold our students, teachers, and schools accountable. There is a long history of testing in the
United States, but it really took hold with the passing of “No Child Left Behind” in 2002. This policy “mandated annual testing
in reading and math (and later science) in grades 3-8 and again in grade 10,” (Encyclopedia Britannica). This law had an
outrageous requirement “that 100% of U.S. students be “proficient” on state reading and math tests by 2014,” (Encyclopedia
Britannica). Even if I wasn’t in education and knew little about testing, and students, and schools I hope I would find this to be
an impossible requirement. Especially with roughly 50 million students enrolled in public education (Coe). There is no way to
get 50 million of anyone to do something at a 100% level. In fact a study “forecast “nearly 100 percent failure” of California
schools to meet AYP in 2014,” (Encyclopedia Britannica). A main reason for this forecast what English Language Learners and
children from low-income households were producing poor results. Not to mention the students that just do not care about
doing well on these tests. I have proctored these tests for 12 years and the amount of apathy toward them has only grown.
Students take so many tests a year. They have learned which tests impact them and which ones do not. And I can tell you
with full certainty that students, where I work at least, have learned that CMAS (Colorado Measure of Academic Success)
testing has little to no bearing on their future. The test is administered in April, with the results given in September. That is too
late for students to find any meaning in the results. They take other standardized tests, required by the district, 3 times a year
that give them immediate results. Many students are still apathetic towards these tests, but many more find the results to at
least hold some meaning about where they stand academically. This has not even mentioned the asinine ability for parents to
“opt-out” their children from a STANDARDIZED TEST. Are you kidding me. Not only can parents refuse to allow their child to
take the test, the schools get punished for this. Those students are counted in the total of the schools testing numbers and if
there isn’t a high enough percentage of students who take the test that attend the school the school get dinged for this and
their testing number look worse. What kind of absolute joke is that? Talk about kicking a horse when it’s down, dead, and
decaying. These are the types of requirements and punishments enacted by people who have no idea. They say one thing
(every students has to take this test as a measure of their success at a given age and school), BUT wait, they actually mean
another thing (if a child and their parents decide they do not want to take the state required, standardized measurement of
success, welp, they can opt their child out). Makes me nauseous trying to put that logic together. Speaking of nauseous, the
amount of money spent on spending.
A major issue with required testing is the required cost of said testing. States have to pay for the test, even though it’s a
requirement by the federal government. And not only do the states have to pay for the test, if schools do not meet standards
they get less money. “According to the Pew Center on the States, annual state spending on standardized tests rose from $423
million before NCLB to almost $1.1 billion in 2008 (a 160% increase),” (Encyclopedia Britannica). In Colorado in 2014 it is
estimated that the test cost the state roughly 100 million dollars, and that is just for the test itself, that says nothing of the time
away from actual teaching and learning time, (Noonan, P). By some measures Colorado ranks as low as 48th in per pupil
funding at about $10,202, with the average in the nation being around $12,612, (Coloradofiscal). I realize 100 million spread out
over an entire state of 881,065 public school students (CDE) is only 113 more dollars per student, but it’s a start. Plus, all the
other tax laws in this state that make funding anything difficult, but that is a whole other post in itself.
Maybe school funding should be a “Hot Topic in Education.” Just a thought.
Standardized tests are not going anywhere anytime soon. We need to find a way to make them more relevant and meaningful,
and not just a waste of learning time and money.
References
Coe - Public School enrollment. (n.d.). https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cga/public school-enrollment#:all%202022%2C%20more%20than,enrolled%20in%20grades%209%E2%80%9312
Coloradofiscal. (n.d.). https://www.coloradofiscal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/State-of-Change-Part-6-School-Funding.pdf
Encyclopedia Britannica, inc. (2025, May 22). Standardized tests. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/procon/standardized-tests-debate
Noonan, P. (2023, April 13). A bill to bust through state CMAS program’s wall: Noonan. Colorado Politics. https://www.coloradopolitics.com/opinion/a-bill-to-bust-through-state-cmas-programs-wall-noonan/article_b2f95ade-d97e-11ed-b99e-4712c8d50c01.html
Pupil membership. CDE. (n.d.). https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdereval/pupilcurrent#:~:text=The%202024%2D2025%20Pupil%20Membership,2023%20count%20of%20881%2C464%20students.
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