Where Do We Go From Here?

When I began writing in this blog, my goal was to research the advantages and disadvantages which standardized testing have on students and teachers. I also intended on finding evidence to support whether standardized testing is an ethical way of “placing” students. Lucky for me, I learned much more than expected about both the negative and positive sides of standardized testing. Though my opinion on standardized testing has remained consistent throughout this blog, I was able to find a huge array of evidence to support my position concerning S.T.

Because the state awards scholarship money to college-bound Michigan students, standardized tests such as the MEAP have become slightly beneficial. Other standardized tests such as the ACT still smother students with unnecessary stress. The ACT also causes many students to obsess over their scores, ultimately damaging self-confidence for those students that don’t score as high as their sisters, brothers, or friends.

In addition to the direct negative effects which standardized testing has on students, I also discussed tracking in schools based on race. This pertains directly back to Linda Christensen’s discussion regarding the achievement gap between the African American students and white students achieving successful AP test exams. I have emphasized many times throughout this blog that AP classes can be a very beneficial depending on whether or not a student is intellectually motivated. The tracking system, which doesn’t allow specific individuals into AP classes based on standardized tests scores, is unethical. If a student is told he/she is not smart enough to participate in high-level courses based on their racial standing or score on a given standardized test, it can ultimately lead to the student’s complete disinterest in education all together.

I also discussed teacher versus S.T. expectations regarding student writing. Teachers often have a difficult time preparing students for the writing test on the MEAP, even though the MEAP grades almost solely on grammar, punctuation, spelling, and ability to support main themes in the paper. English teachers have a tough job because they don’t simply deliver information to students, but they have to teach students how to organize thoughts in a way which they can later be transferred to paper. While some teachers require students to write the standard 5-paragraph essay, others encourage students to write creatively. However, some people who grade standardized tests use rubrics which concentrate on looking for a specific type of paper, while other graders look for originality and thought. In reality, standardized writing tests really rely on whether or not the student is lucky enough to get a grader that likes his/her style of paper.

If I do, in fact, become an English teacher some day, I fear that I will be forced to face the inevitable fate that I will end up teaching a curriculum which conforms to the expectations of standardized testing. Especially after I wrote “Standardized tests put standardized students into standardized classes, ultimately shaping them into masses of standard people” (March 1). My biggest goal as a teacher is simply to be original and innovative. I want to find a way to effectively teach students to apprietiate literature while also helping them to earn successful scores on standardized tests. This blog, class + the bright ideas convention have given me some awesome tips, and I can’t wait to put some of them into action!