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Claire Meyers

Mr. Ventura

1530 JCC English

13 October 2020

Standardized Testing

Standardized tests have been around for more than 100 years and are used to pinpoint

where students are academically. I believe the issue of standardized tests is a worthy topic to

spend time researching this semester because it is extremely relevant, and several different

opinions exist. Standardized tests are controversial because some believe the tests generate

useful results and testing should continue, whereas others think the scores from these tests are

meaningless and the testing should end. The scores are supposed to be indicators of what a

student does or does not know, but is that what these results truly show? The question of whether

standardized tests should continue has become more significant in recent years with colleges

making the ACT and the SAT requirement optional for the admissions process. Standardized

testing will provide me with a debatable, a researchable, and a sustainable issue to work with.

Standardized testing is a debatable issue because many different people believe they have

the right answer to the questions of why these tests are administered and whether they should

continue at all. Those who have different opinions about this topic are students, teachers, parents,

researchers, college admissions, and the government. However, not all students, parents,

teachers, or researchers share the same views on these tests. Some parents think that more

important skills can be learned while at school than how to best answer test questions and

improve test scores. Many teachers have the viewpoint that they are simply teaching for the test
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rather than teaching the entire curriculum and spending more time on test related material than

anything else.

Research shows that the use of standardized testing can help improve student engagement

and overall accomplishment. College admissions use student’s scores on the SAT and the ACT

to gage his or her preparedness for college, and whether the student is truly up to the academic

challenge. While some schools and politicians believe standardized tests help to keep academic

evaluations in all school districts fair and equal, others think that by having uniform tests at

every school is a way of discriminating against minorities because not every school or every

student is necessarily equal. Different socioeconomic backgrounds exist; children who live in

economically challenged neighborhoods may not have the level of education and preparation

compared to those students who live in affluent neighborhoods. The simple difference of a

student’s school district can have a major impact on how well they score on these standardized

tests.

The tests are created to be uniform for every school and every student; however, not all

schools and all students are the same. Many variables should be considered when reviewing the

scores of these tests. For example, not all students are good test takers. This fact does not

necessarily mean that this student knows any more or any less than another student in his or her

grade level, but it simply means that taking a test is not the best way to gage the knowledge of

this student. Some students read quicker than others, and this provides an advantage to the faster

readers because they will have more time to ponder the questions. Those students who read slow

are more restricted in how much time they have for the questions, and this will lead to a vast

amount of guessing. Other examples of why test scores could vary are emotional and physical

health. Just because a student scores low on the test does not necessarily mean his or her
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knowledge base is lacking, it could simply mean that he or she is dealing with another issue,

either physically or emotionally.

Though I have taken many standardized tests throughout my academic career, I have

never given much thought as to what the results truly mean. A score is given based on how well I

answered the questions in each section, but I was never able to see the actual questions I missed.

If I do not know what I missed, then how am I supposed to know what I specifically do and do

not know? This begs the question, what am I truly learning by taking these tests? The supposed

purpose of standardized testing is to measure a student’s retained knowledge and to evaluate the

thoroughness of the teacher’s performance. Is that what these tests really do?

Many colleges and universities have become test optional on their application. Does this

mean that the scores of the students who do decide to take the test still matter, or are the scores

less important than they used to be? If the test is becoming optional, will students continue to

take it at all? When schools become test optional, they do not need them for the application

process, but are test scores still important for financial aid purposes? The topic of standardized

tests is one that is researchable and should be researched. Many questions exist about this topic,

and the answers to those questions are extremely important. Research can be done to ascertain

the true importance of standardized test scores, and whether these tests are truly worth the time

and effort when the results can be tainted for many different reasons.

The issue of standardized tests poses many questions, and these questions are relevant,

current, and timely. Standardized tests are constantly administered, and I do not think that this

will change any time soon. Though these tests are still being given, with all the controversy

surrounding them, will they eventually become an obsolete way of estimating student
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achievement? This is a question that has been debated for several years, is still being debated

today, and thus will provide me with a sustainable topic for the semester.

The delivery aspect of this research paper is very crucial. I will use ethos in my essay by

finding credible sources and information. When I choose to use information from a source, I will

make sure that source is reliable and the information provided is accurate. I am going to use

logos in my writing by organizing my thoughts logically, and by providing sufficient evidence in

a way that is effective. Pathos will be incorporated into my essay when I relate the issue to my

own personal experiences with standardized testing, as well as when I appeal to the emotions of

the audience.

All in all, the topic of standardized tests is debatable, researchable, and sustainable. Many

different groups of people have an investment in whether these tests continue and with those

varying involvements come different opinions. Standardized testing has been very controversial

for years, and with the recent development of test optional college applications, the fate of these

tests has become more of an unknown than it has been in the past. Numerous questions exist

regarding this topic, and I believe it is worth the time and the effort to find the answers because

this issue will only become more crucial in the years to come.