Education plays a crucial role in gaining knowledge about the world and understanding different cultures and viewpoints. It is an essential aspect of everyone's life, enabling us to learn about the world and interact with others. Assessments and evaluations are present in different contexts, such as schools, workplaces, and everyday activities.
Contrary to the belief that testing is the optimal method to showcase our grasp of classroom material, I firmly oppose this notion. Standardized testing in education serves the purpose of evaluating students' advancement, yet it lacks effectiveness due to its emphasis on performance rather than comprehension. The United States congress enacted "The No Child Left Behind Act" in 2001, which President George W. Bush approved in 2002. This law mandated primary evaluation of students' skills in subjects like math and reading from Elementary School until High School.
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...p>The purpose of the act was to ensure equal access to education for all students, including those facing disadvantages such as poverty, learning disabilities, and minority backgrounds. The act aimed to address academic failure among these vulnerable groups and all students in general. President George W. Bush highlighted that the bill is grounded on the belief that every child can learn, and schools must show whether this is being achieved or not. One of the mandates of the act required schools to offer challenging academic opportunities for their students.
This is the origin of standardized testing, which is characterized by its objective nature. Specifically, an objective assessment consists of true or false, matching, or multiple choice questions with definitive right or wrong answers. Such tests are scored by a machine and are administered and evaluated uniformly for all students.
Subjectivity is
based on personal interpretations, such as opinions, points of view, and values, making it biased. Objective testing can identify and correct common errors that are often misunderstood. However, this does not mean that objective testing always has an advantage. Standardized testing only provides results from a single evaluation conducted on a specific day. It is frequently recommended to study, have a nutritious meal the night before and morning of the test, and get enough sleep for optimal performance. Factors like study time, attentiveness in class, understanding of the subject matter, and amount of sleep all contribute to determining how well a student performs on a test.
Harvey B. Simon, a Harvard University graduate and former founder and editor of "Harvard Men's Health Watch", conducted a study on the impact of sleep on memory. The experiment involved volunteers who were given creative problems to think about during the day before the actual testing phase. Half of the participants were instructed to take a nap during the day and reach the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep stage, while the other half stayed awake without napping.
The results of this study showed that those who took a nap performed better than those who stayed awake, with a success rate that was forty-four percent higher. It is widely acknowledged in our daily routine that breakfast is an essential meal.
The Human Appetite Research Unit and Institute of Psychological Sciences conducted 21 cross-sectional studies to investigate the link between breakfast consumption and academic performance. One study focused on 379 school children in India, aged 11 to 13, with a gender distribution of 55% male and 45% female. The participants completed a questionnaire about
their breakfast habits, including food choices and frequency of breakfast consumption. Findings revealed that students who regularly ate breakfast before school achieved higher grades in Mathematics, Science, and English at the end of the year compared to those who skipped breakfast. This highlights an excessive emphasis on standardized testing.
Throughout my academic journey, I have vivid memories of repeatedly taking the CMT's (Connecticut Mastery Test) from third to eighth grade and the SAT's (Scholastic Aptitude Test) three times in tenth and eleventh grade. Every time I took these assessments, it was clear that I was not adequately prepared. The night before, I stayed up late studying for the exam, resulting in very little sleep. Additionally, on test day, I skipped breakfast which did not prove helpful. When April 2017 came and my results were revealed, it became evident that my score had only reached 930.
In June of the same year, I made the decision to take the test again with the goal of achieving a higher score. The exam was scheduled for a Saturday morning at 9:30 and was held at a different school. Although I don't remember studying for this attempt, I did make sure to have a healthy breakfast and get enough rest. When I received the results, I found that my score had increased by 70 points, reaching 990. This got me thinking about what actions or strategies I used differently compared to my first try.
I have a strong belief that small details can have a significant impact on overall results. Normally, students are initially introduced to a subject during class and then spend time studying it. They are then evaluated on
the topic before moving on to the next one, repeating this cycle.
Teachers who prioritize test preparation exclusively often hinder the retention of learned information within a limited timeframe. To support students, certain teachers develop review sheets and study guides that closely mimic the actual test and openly reveal its content. Consequently, standardized testing has drawbacks including narrowing the curriculum to reading and math while neglecting other crucial subjects like arts and music.
It is crucial to address and implement new testing methods in all school systems in order to accurately define true knowledge.
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