If you so much as whisper the words "standardized test" within a school, students everywhere will cringe. It's no secret that test-taking is not considered a desirable task by most people. But what if standardized testing is doing more harm than simply scaring and annoying students?
There is an issue with these tests, and it is that intelligence cannot simply be measured by a "one-size-fits-all" standard. Of course, the purpose of the creation of these tests was, in fact, an attempt to be fair to all students by giving them all the same exam. However, we are individuals. Everyone learns in a certain way, some ways better than others. "Fairness" becomes a relative term when agency is considered.
Along with the fact that students can learn and interpret information in different ways, students can also reach answers in different ways. For example, there are multiple ways to interpret a reading passage, as well as the questions that are proposed with it. Yet, on standardized tests, there typically exists only "one" correct way to answer each question. Granted, one could argue that the instructions usually direct the student to choose the best possible answer, but the "best" answer could potentially be dependent on the way the student thinks.
To add another factor into the already messy equation of individuality versus testing, the way a student thinks or learns greatly depends on the way they were raised, as well as the teachers that they have had in their past. Certain parents encourage their children in different ways, and no instructor teaches quite the same way as another. Location, too, greatly affects these aspects. With all of the extraneous variables involved in a student's ability to understand and formulate an answer on a test, it is difficult to say that standardized testing is the most efficient way to judge a student's skills.
America promotes individuality and self-freedom, yet standardized testing robs students from this very concept. We need a solution that makes it possible to test students' knowledge without it being unfair. Obviously, a solution is difficult to find due to the fact that there are millions of students throughout the nation that all deserve fair treatment. But there are steps that society could take to demote the importance of a standardized test. Perhaps colleges and workplaces could put more emphasis on transcripts, where all grades for all classes, as well as the difficulty level of each class, would be considered. Or maybe there is a way to formulate an exam that puts a student's motivation and work ethic to the test, since those are characteristics that are highly valued and reveal to employers how hard a student works.
Whatever the solution, one needs to take effect as soon as possible. The stress that results from students worrying over whether or not they have the ability to use the basic, dull and non-creative principles they were taught in order to fit a mold that society has created needs to come to an end. Let us call for a solution, and remove standardized testing from our schools.
