Is Standardized Testing Necessary?

Imagine if we hear from students how they actually feel about standardized testing. Of course the adult perspective varies, but there is definitely truth truth in the meme above. Having staff trained in trauma informed practices and providing mental health service (again) would surely be money well spent. 

According to a young student, Lincoln Aftergood of The Lion's Tale states, 

..."standardized tests are a major cause of stress in high school students all across the country. Students spend hours and hours of time preparing for a test that they believe decides their future when they could be spending that time having fun or learning useful information."

He further went on to say, "If a student performs poorly on a standardized test, they can face increased pressure from their parents and peers to do better and be “smarter.” This can lead to students resenting learning and believing that they are worse than everyone else because of their low score."

It's no secret that standardized testing has pros and cons and have been debated for many years. However, with the knowledge and research that is available today, there is clear indication that this topic needs to be revisited. 

Are standardized tests really necessary? What are your thoughts? Do you believe students feel pressure to do well on standardized tests? Outside of tests, are there other ways to gauge a students' development and growth in specific areas? 

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