Standardized Testing: A Little Too Standard?

Greetings to all of my English 310 cohorts! I am currently a sophomore here at good old GVSU. I am an English major/Spanish minor. I love writing, so am really looking forward to giving this blog-thing a try. I have never kept a blog for one of my classes before, and I am pretty psyched about trying it out now.

Throughout my experience on the “student side” of secondary education, I have been privileged with wonderful English teachers. I enjoyed the remarkable literature which was continuously introduced to me, and I even enjoyed (on occasion) my few composition classes. However, a chunk of very “generic” lessons always seemed to stick out to me, and not in a positive way. It was not until senior year when my instructor told the class that English teachers in our school were required to teach certain lessons which pertained directly to the MEAP test. Apparently, a large part of the school’s reputation relied on the average score of the students.

I believed that the diversity among teachers throughout the secondary schooling system was an important attribute to creating uniquely dissimilar students in colleges. However, when my instructors began jamming this generic material into my head, school seemed to become one giant flashcard. Although I was able to obtain a scholarship through the MEAP test (along with almost everyone else), and my ACT score helped with my acceptance into college, I failed to realize the importance of the information found on these tests. How can schools measure an individual student’s intelligence using a single set of generic questions? In my opinion, the education system is sending a message to young adults that they are inadequate or not college bound because of a low score on a standardized test.

I am interested in further researching the many aspects of standardized testing. Using the articles found throughout Google Reader, I hope to discover more about the methods and purpose behind standardized testing. I also hope to research the advantages/disadvantages standardized testing has on students. Many students are horrible test takers even though their IQ and class performance might demonstrate otherwise. Because a percentage of student populations do not have adequate test taking skills, they are forced to suffer the repercussions a poor score often entails. I want to research whether or not it is ethical to use only one testing method throughout America. Hopefully, I will be able to dig up enough information to elaborate on this topic throughout the semester!