Mentor/s
Dr. Thomson and Dr. Trudeau
Participation Type
Paper Talk
Abstract
Though standardized tests have been a traditional aspect of the United States public education system for centuries, resulting from the recent educational reforms, there has been much controversy over whether they continue to provide adequate value and influence. Standardized tests were first introduced to schools in the United States in order to find a standard for all students to be compared against, record teacher efficacy, and make states comply to federal educational reforms. The creation of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 reshaped standardized testing into an established system where all states were required to give students in selected grade levels standardized tests. It was replaced in 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act which gave power to the states to make decisions regarding their own standardized testing to increase academic success (“Standardized Tests,” 2018). While supporters of standardized testing state it provides teacher accountability and motivates students, research suggests that standardized testing should be reevaluated because it causes increased stress, test anxiety and student and teacher cheating, and fails to account for relevant student demographics including gender, language, culture, social economic status and race.
College and Major available
STEM
Location
Digital Commons
Start Day/Time
5-5-2021 1:00 PM
End Day/Time
5-5-2021 4:00 PM
Prize Categories
Most Scholarly Impact or Potential, Most Creative, Most Meaningful
The Effects of Standardized Testing on Students
Digital Commons
Though standardized tests have been a traditional aspect of the United States public education system for centuries, resulting from the recent educational reforms, there has been much controversy over whether they continue to provide adequate value and influence. Standardized tests were first introduced to schools in the United States in order to find a standard for all students to be compared against, record teacher efficacy, and make states comply to federal educational reforms. The creation of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 reshaped standardized testing into an established system where all states were required to give students in selected grade levels standardized tests. It was replaced in 2015 by the Every Student Succeeds Act which gave power to the states to make decisions regarding their own standardized testing to increase academic success (“Standardized Tests,” 2018). While supporters of standardized testing state it provides teacher accountability and motivates students, research suggests that standardized testing should be reevaluated because it causes increased stress, test anxiety and student and teacher cheating, and fails to account for relevant student demographics including gender, language, culture, social economic status and race.
Students' Information
Cristina Pietromonaco, STEM, Honors student, 2021