SAT, ACT, FAST testing, midterms, EOCs, AP exams and standardized testing play an essential role in today’s education system. The tests are designed to measure students’ knowledge and the effectiveness of the current curriculum, but there can be limitations in assessing actual knowledge, and the pressure on students and educators to achieve high-quality results can be intense.
“I typically get good grades and can study, but these tests tend to stress me out a lot.” Ethan Gear (10) said. “I think tests like the FAST reading are pointless past middle school; they don’t measure any real knowledge and are required to take them until 10th grade.” In Florida’s FAST testing, approximately 48% of 10th graders failed to meet Level 3 in ELA, according to Lumos Learning.
Moreover, classes are meant to prepare students for exams, which can impact their GPA and even their college. High-stakes testing can cause significant test anxiety, potentially resulting in scores that don’t accurately reflect a student’s potential.
“I think that standardized testing complicates our curriculum, because it restricts creative people, if they had extended time to teach the standardized skills deemed necessary.” Christina Chowning, an English teacher said. “If they spent time to teach it creatively, however, if you follow strictly the texts that they assign and the standards that they give us, then it can be boring for both the teacher and the students. So, you really have to jazz it up a bit with your own stuff, and that does take time.”
As well as student pressure, there is also pressure on schools and teachers to raise scores, often resulting in a narrowing and simplification of the curriculum. Educators may spend class time on repetitive testing practice rather than engaging in education. Ultimately, this produces students who are proficient test-takers but lack the critical thinking and creativity that are significant for lifelong success.
In addition, scores can correlate with income status, reflecting how schools with easier access to expensive test preparation or better funding perform. The SAT and ACT take months of preparation, and students typically use tutoring, apps and hours of studying, which not everyone has the luxury to do.
“The difference between Berkeley and Plant for test preparation is that all teachers are required to do tutoring an hour before and an hour after class.” Simone Grimaldi (11) said. “They [Berkeley] also provide free SAT tutoring on weekends, they give us the SAT book, and they have a website that connects all the teachers and websites for studying. Another thing I noticed that was completely different is that study guides are provided for every test.” Private schools and public schools provide different levels of resources which can ultimately affect the way students perform or study.
Furthermore, many students have extracurricular activities, including jobs, sports and other activities, which disrupt the time needed to prepare. Another issue could be the rising cost of high-quality test preparation, which could make scores reflect family wealth more than academic potential.
“I think that some testing, like the SAT, is important and can actually impact our futures in college.” Jane Stevenson (10) said. “But there’s also some testing that doesn’t make any sense to take and is an unnecessary waste of time. They take a whole day to test us for it so as not to impact our academics in any way.”
However, the advantages of standardized testing ensure that all students are assessed on the same material, under the same conditions and scored in the same way. It helps provide a measuring system for comparing performance across different classes, schools, districts and even states. Most exams have a similar format, which can track students’ year-to-year growth and identify the questions they struggle with.
On the other hand, a single test score represents a student’s performance on a single day and can be affected by external factors like illness, poor sleep or emotional problems, leading to inaccurate scoring results. Tests can also contribute to significant amounts of stress and anxiety, which can lower academic confidence and a student’s enjoyment of learning.