...Have you ever realized how many standardized test we take from Pre K to 12th grade? From grades Pre K to 12th grade an average student takes about 112 exams. Every year students take about 8-9 standardized test. For example Knox Middle School takes Istep and Nwea three times a year to see what the students are learning and what the teachers are teaching. The government needs to modify these numbers of standardized test because it is quality not quantity. This essay will discuss that the government should modify standardized test because we take too many, stresses out teachers and students, and the tests take up too much teaching time. First this paragraph will discuss how students take too many standardized test. On average a student takes...
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...are teaching, the state needs to remove standardized state level of testing; this will encourage children of young age to think creativity and think outside the box, encourages organic learning and prevents the unnecessary stress on young children. Robinson, K. (2013, April) Ted Talks Education How to escape educations death valley [Video File] Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_how_to_escape_education_s_death_valley#t-782486 Ken Robinson is an author, speaker and international advisor on education. He emphasized on importance of education and how it is that we are to change the way we are teaching in America. He mentions that while the standardized testing is ok, we should however expand on the notion with state testing and expand within the arts. He mentions that 60% of children drop out of school before they get into high school. He also states the No Child Left Behind act is based not on diversity but conformity. He compared Finland to each state within the America. Finland does not use any standardized testing; yet they are consistently above average. The difference with Finland and any state in America can be summed up by 3 things. 1) America in general or state level does not individualize teaching and learning. 2) America in general or state level does not invest in the teacher. He states that America spends more money on Education compared to other countries. 3) Responsibility should be at school level where as within the America in...
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...Standardized Testing Standardized testing is probably one of the most bittersweet aspects of American education. On one hand, It helps us set a baseline of where students are academically and what needs to be approved on in average. On the other, it adds a tremendous amount of stress to some students, and encourages the system to lean to a curriculum that “teaches to test”. In this essay, I will discuss the pros and cons of standardized testing and provide my personal opinions on it in the end. Standardized testing does a pretty good job of establishing a baseline of where students land and what needs to be improved on. “Standardized testing gives parents a good idea of how their children are doing as compared to students across the country and locally.”(Columbia University School and Child Care Search Service 1). This also gives us areas that need to be improved on. Another good thing about standardized testing is that it helps teachers know what material needs to be taught during the year. “Probably the greatest benefit of standardized testing is that teachers and schools are responsible for teaching students what they are required to know for these standardized tests.” (Columbia University School and Child Care Search Service 1). Standardized testing improves international rankings as...
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...History[edit] Students taking a scholarship examination inside a classroom in 1940 Ancient China was the first country in the world that implemented a nationwide standardized test, which was called the imperial examination. The main purpose of this examination was to select for able candidates for specific governmental positions.[4] The imperial examination was established by the Sui Dynasty in 605 AD and was later abolished by the Qing Dynasty 1300 years later in 1905. England had adopted this examination system in 1806 to select specific candidates for positions in Her Majesty's Civil Service,modeled on the Chinese imperial examination. This examination system was later applied to education and it started to influence other parts of the world as it became a prominent standard (e.g. regulations to prevent the markers from knowing the identity of candidates), of delivering standardized tests. Influence of World Wars on Testing Both World War I and World War II made many people realize the necessity of standardized testing and the benefits associated with these tests. One main reason people saw the benefits was from the Army Alpha and Army Beta tests, which were used during WWI to determine human abilities. Alongside the Army Alpha, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale "added momentum to the testing movement."[5] Soon after, colleges and industry began using tests to help in accepting and hiring people based on performance of the test. Another reason more tests...
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...Standardized Testing The world is getting less intelligent, in regards to grammar and speech. The invention of spell check and grammar check has diminished the importance to properly learning grammar and punctuation. Students aren’t as worried about sentence structure or grammar because Word programs have built in features to correct them. Their papers are spelled properly, sentences properly structured without even realizing there was a mistake to begin with. It has defeated the purpose of a rough draft, if the first version of the paper is “perfect.” And annual Standardized testing was mandated in 2002 after the No Child Left Behind Act, when US students fell in math and science in world rankings. These program features and tests contribute to the students’ decline in a number of ways. By offering “multiple choice”, students’ understanding or ability to properly structure a paragraph or an entire essay isn’t being tested, their ability to recall information is. While being able to memorize things is helpful, it’s of no help long term. English and composition classes in higher education institutions will expect students to be able to demonstrate their understanding. “State assessments in mathematics and English often fail to capture the full spectrum of what students know and can do…. Students, parents, and educators know there is much more to a sound education than picking the right answer on a multiple-choice question” (Problems with Standardized Testing). Students are being...
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...covering subjects subsequently taken should be sent as soon as it is available. If you attended more than one college or university, you will need to send in transcripts from each college attended. * High school transcript/secondary school record in a sealed envelope. * Supplemental Document cover sheet (optional) - use this form to submit any additional materials. Click here to download a guide to submitting your transfer application. Mail documents to: MIT Transfer Admissions 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 3-108(T) Cambridge, MA 02139 Essays, Activities & Tests Form Essays The required essays consist of three short-answer response questions (250 word limit). Remember that your essays are not a writing test. They’re the place in the application where we look for your voice - who you are, what drives you, what's important to you, what makes you tick. Be honest, be open, be real - connect with us. That's all that matters. Activities Please use our form, not a resume, to list your activities. There is only enough space in this section to list a few things, so please choose the activities that mean the most to you and tell us a bit about them. This will tell us more about you than any "laundry list" of everything you've ever done. Standardized Tests You should self-report your...
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...The Cons of Standardized Testing In past decades, tests were given to students to decide their placement in classes or to determine which students needed to be placed in resources class. Today, standardized tests are used for arbitrating the success or failure of students, teachers, and schools. “Despite their biases, inaccuracies, limited ability to measure achievement or ability, and other flaws, schools use standardized tests to determine if children are ready for school, track them into instructional groups; diagnose for learning disability, retardation and other handicaps; and decide whether to promote, retain in grade, or graduate many students. Schools also use tests to guide and control curriculum content and teaching methods” (Fair Test, 2007). On top of that, should one test at the end of a school year determine if a teacher was successful? No! A teacher’s success should be determined on the children’s learning throughout an entire school year based on many different assessments; this should be the same for children’s success. Students and teachers need to be held accountable for their success but not by administrating a standardized test. Standardized testing has become a political issue. When schools are tested they are compared to other schools in there state and nationally which permits politicians to display their concerns about certain school systems. You see, in the political world politician’s show their concern with our schools by attaching standardized...
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...themselves at the far ends of a spectrum that I found myself somewhere in the middle on for most of the issues brought up. Waiting for Superman is clearly the work of a non-teacher, as the reforms showcased in the film highlight radical change to teaching staff, the dissolving of teachers unions, and the placement of the child’s needs above the adults. What ‘Superman’ got wrong, point by point is (as stated) the rebuttal to the movie from the view of a teacher. The educator who wrote this essay, Rick Ayers, shows his support for teachers unions, the addressing of the curriculum and method that we teach kids and not the people...
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...Standardized Testing Standardized tests are very common throughout the United States. They are used to measure students’ academic performances in school. These tests vary from state to state in all grade levels. However, these tests are believed to be biased towards those students who come from higher-class neighborhoods, simply because they have more educational resources. I don’t believe that standardized testing is a good idea for many reasons. Standardized testing assesses students, teachers, and the school itself, which puts a great deal of pressure on the students. In classrooms all across America, students sit perched over their desks in the process of taking standardized tests. As the students take the tests, teachers pace nervously up and down the rows of their classroom, hoping and praying that their students can recall the information which they have presented. Some children sit relaxed at their desks, calmly filling in the bubbles and answering essay questions. These children are well prepared and equipped to handle their tests. Other children, however, sit hunched over their desks, pondering over questions, trying to guess an answer to choose. High scores show that the school is effective in teaching students, while low test scores make teachers and schools look as though they are not teaching the students properly. This is not always the case. There are teachers who do teach students what they need to know to pass the test, but their students are still unprepared...
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...Standardized Testing Standardized testing has been a key part in education for awhile now, but how effective is it really? Does it truly grasp the students’ individualities to highlight their unique abilities? Of course it does not, how can it? If this is true, however, why are they still vital to earn a high school diploma? Education was once about the students, not about the score. It was about enjoying the time in the classroom, creating a desire to want to know more. Standardized tests have taken this away from classrooms, they have caused many pupils to not enjoy the material they are taught while also taking the individualism, the one on one individual experiences, out of the classrooms. Education is no longer about the individual student. It is about the student body, making everyone the same or “equal”. Education should be fun. It should make the student desire to learn more. Francine Prose discusses this in her essay, I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read. She talks of how each September she is more and more depressed when she receives her sons’ reading lists for the upcoming school year. Not only have the books they are forced to read not the best choices, but the information from the books is forced down the student’s throats. Students are not given the opportunity to read the books and enjoy them. Upon receiving the their assignments, they are also given worksheets and other assignments,outlining the information and key points they are expected understand...
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...Associate Program Material Characteristics of the Expository Essay What Is an Essay? An essay is an important part of your college experience because it requires critical thinking as well as organization and research. Essay is a broad term. Sometimes an essay is just a page long; sometimes, essays are five pages or longer. Essays, however, focus on a single subject and idea. They also have different purposes: to persuade, explain, or entertain. Consider the following essay titles: • “Why You Should Never Vote for a Democrat” • “My Friend Harry Reasoner” • “Cell Phones: Getting the Most for the Least” • “Gay Marriage Does Not Hurt Traditional Marriage” • “How to Write an Essay” How would you categorize the essays above based on the titles? Is “Why You Should Never Vote for a Democrat” a persuasive essay or an entertaining one? Does “How to Write an Essay” explain or persuade? Even within a classification, writers use different types of development and have multiple purposes for their essays. Essay Classifications Writers classify essays in different ways. The following table includes common types of essays as well as examples: Type of Essay Definition Example Expository Uses evidence, examples, or facts to explain a concept or to inform about a topic with a thesis as its base; the information must be presented fairly and in a nonbiased manner “How to Stop Smoking” Persuasive or Argumentative Uses evidence, examples, or facts to persuade your...
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...policy will strengthen the diversity of colleges and open more opportunity for those who need it to be successful. A standardized test is not a proper strategy to determine whether a student should be admitted to a school or not. They do not exemplify most of the specific qualities a student could bring to college or gain in the future. Due to colleges eliminating the necessity of standardized test during the admission period, students are being accepted to schools that can properly hone the skills needed in their future, and schools that they can excel at if attended. An additional amount of schools are beginning to view personal essays, and extracurricular activities as a way to gain a better sense of person’s work...
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...I. Standardized test give an unfair advantage to some groups, with the contrast only widening throughout the decades. A. The wealthier class are more prepared than the poor class. 1. Since the 1960s, the contrast of standardized test results between those with wealth and those in poverty have widened by 60%. 2. Students in wealthier environments have greater access to methods and classes that help them prepare specifically for standardized tests. B. Whites and Asians have an advantage over Latinos and African Americans. 1. Although the African American and Latino students make up about 70% of the total student body, they are consistent in scoring lower on standardized tests in New York. 2. Schools in Virginia require a smaller percent...
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...Instructional Setting and Content Area Apison Elementary School is a K-5 school located in Chattanooga, TN. Approximately 600 students attend Apison from kindergarten to 5th grade. As a rural community, students come from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds. The school is flanked by two large, primarily wealthy neighborhoods that account for a large number of Apison students. However, according to the National Center for Education statistics [NCESC] (2014), almost 40% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Many of the families with lower income own small farms in this rural community. Even with the diversity of students’ socioeconomic backgrounds, Apison consistently does well on standardized state tests. 72% of their students scored...
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...While saying standardized testing may be the best way to compare students with each other, the author and I disagree. While the author stating why we should have no standardized tests had a few minor slips, I overall agree with that they are trying to say. Some students may just be better at testing than others. Standardized testing should not measure how smart someone is. The author uses pathos, it is based on what she feels what is right. When the she says “testing only calculates the performance of a student during that day, not the development during the whole year.” I agree, if the person taking the test was not feeling well that day, or did not get enough sleep then he or she could have done bad. It is a fact that schools do spend a...
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