Understanding that testing is utilized in the American Education system as a means of assessing the comprehensive ability of students in particular subject’s areas, ideally, this concept would be deemed as necessary and beneficial. However, the bias of aptitude testing often hinders many students from being challenged to their fullest potential and also may alienate many students. To support the claim the book “Testing for Learning: How New Approaches to Evaluate can Improve American Schools” states “ these test are commonly referred to as standardized test, which means they are given under the same conditions and ask the same questions across different populations in order to permit comparisons ( Mitchell, p.5).” Moreover, aptitude test often do not speak to the variety of learning patterns many students possess, in conjunction with a lack of cultural versatility. More importantly, although these factors may be very important to examine in reference to the effectiveness of aptitude testing in American schools I find that the most debilitating factor of aptitude testing is promoting a culture of universal expectancy in our American schools. In explanation, this culture can be understood as instructors simply teaching materials that will be seen on an aptitude test rather challenging the different learning frameworks students may have, sculpting them into to well-rounded and analytical thinkers. Moreover, many researches have conducted research pertaining to the effectiveness of aptitude testing in American schools, which yield a variety of results.
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More importantly, the variation of results can be attributed to the different populations tested and the dynamics of their testing protocol. However, I have found that many researchers have failed to conduct research on the factors that may impact the outcome of particular testing results in many learning communities. To support the claim the book ‘The Death and The Life of the American School system” states “Standards on their own do not address the root cause of poor academic performance, which are generational poverty, racial segregation, and inequitable resources. (Ravitch, p. XXIV).” More precisely, I assert that if more action research was in place representing the dynamics of student’s homes, communities, and collective interest, an aptitude test that is more appealing and fair can be administered. Ultimately, although aptitude testing is bias in nature and may be difficult to appeal to each student thoroughly, I believe the employment of such aptitude testing is more beneficial that the current administration precedents within American Schools systems. Moreover, research has suggested that resulys the results have suggested that the utilization of standardized testing can present certain demographics with higher propensities to excel, in comparison to others. Most importantly, this can be understood as the lack of particular material and resources required for teachers to ensure students are receiving an education that is comparable universally. In addition, other data regarding the effectiveness of aptitude testing suggest that the results of one’s Aptitude testing can predict the future or trajectory of students. More specifically, there is a universal understanding by various Educational communities that supports the belief that one’s overall success is contingent upon how well someone does on their assignments and aptitude testing. To support the claim the article “Testing for Competence, Rather Than Intelligence” states, “ It seems so self-evident to educators that those wo do well in their classes must go on to do better in life that they systematically have disregarded evident to the contrary that has been accumulating for some time ( McClelland, p. 2).
Impact: Action research
Moving Forward, One may assert that the most debilitating effect of today’s standardized testing is the bureaucratic control from over-arching boards that dictate the nature and dynamic of such testing. In explanation, if standardized testing is made more personalized to specific learning communities, one may notice a sizable difference in the overall results of aptitude testing universally. To support the claim the book “Testing for Learning: How New Approaches to Evaluate can Improve American Schools” states “In explanation, as test are generally constructed through testing companies and approved by governing officials, the persons who hold these particular seats are responsible for prescribing what “should” be known, versus what the students have comprehensively studied their entire year within that particular grade level. To support the claim the book “The Death and Life of the American School System” States “I concluded that frequency and duration of testing had more to do with effective lobbying and mindless obsession with data than pursuing what was best for our children (Ravitch, p.23).” Moreover, as this cycle continues, teachers naturally become more concerned with ensuring their students are competent in the material that will be tested, versus ensuring the students will actually learn and retain valuable information that will impact and shape their futures.
Following, the impact standardized testing can present to students can ultimately hinder students from being accepted into a university or college, when they may be more than capable of excelling. In explanation, as Universities utilize scores from ACT and SAT scores as a means of defining a student’s probability of succeeding, ideally, students who score lower on these particular exams will have a harder time being accepted, unconditionally within these institutions. Overall, considering the broadness of standardized testing, the occurrence of students being capable of doing well in college, however, not possessing adequate test scores to be accepted is very common. Understanding this, I find it salient to assert that a more profound way of measuring ones educational abilities is needed.
Moreover, after consultation, the most salient aspect of education to study was the relative effectiveness of standardized testing in American School systems. More precisely, this conclusion was derived based upon the understanding of how impactful testing is upon one’s ability to excel in today’s society. As more testing is implemented within schools to ensure competency of materials, more students will become weeded out, which centralizes and generalizes the way all students are expected to learn. Overall, through action research we hope to find results that will suggest a more profound way of testing the competency of students without presenting any unwarranted precedents upon their life.
Methods Moreover, Although there have been numerous studies conducted regarding the relative effectiveness and impact of standardized and aptitude testing, we found it salient to observe few variables that are not consistent in other research conducted before, but will do an excellent job capturing the overall impact of the stated testing strategies. In explanation, these variables can be readily understood as implementing personalized testing for individual districts which will focus on the information that is relatively taught and discussed within that scholastic environment. In explanation, more often than not students are presented with questions and subjects of work that are not reflective of what has been learned in their classroom all year. In turn, this is frustrating and also does not gather a full breadth of the students’ knowledge.
Moreover, by having a population of students take a 50 question test that possess questions from actually aptitude and standardize testing, following a test that was constructed solely by their teacher, students should ideally do better on the exam that is more personalize to their comprehension. In addition, allowing for students to create questions of their own, and have differing students try to complete the questions is another method that is worthy of being tested. After ensuring the question constructed by the students are of grade level competency, and are not also debilitating to the learning pallets of the students, the results yielded from this study should suggest an increase in the overall grades, in comparison to the scores of aptitude and standardized testing. Closing
Overall, Aptitude and standardized testing have been a salient area of study in reference to the nature and well-being of education for decades. However, although various studies suggest that utilizing such test is less beneficial than projected, there is a continuum of standardized testing within schools in the United States. The results of this are shocking, whereas teaching communities the focus is being cultivated to only cater to the requirements and needs of satisfying testing levels of competency. In light of this, education, becomes generalized and loses its uniqueness, causing a universal inadequacy within our education system.
Work Cited
Ravitch, Diane. The Death and The Life of the American School system. New York. 2016. Web.
McClelland, David. Testing for Competence Rather Than for Intelligence. American Psychologist. 1973. Web.
Mitchell, Ruth. “Testing for Learning: How New Approaches to Evaluate can Improve American Schools. Education. 1992. Web.
Ravitch, Diane. The Death and The Life of the American School system. New York. 2016. Web.
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