Standardized Testing: Effects and Ways of

Overcoming Them
By: Marissa Sheffield
Introduction
Overview
Over the course of the past few years, I have noticed that there has been a pendulum
effect going on in the system of education. There has been a constant push for students to be
high achieving and academically excellent. These thoughts have been engraved into the minds
of students most likely due to the Race to the Top program and the No Child Left Behind Act.
Government and political leaders have much control over the system of education. Our society
is focused on creating highly intellectual individuals who will be able to compete in our global
economy.
In this paper, I will show that much of our focus has gravitated towards standardized
testing and using the results of these tests to determine how intelligent an individual is, to
compare individuals and school districts, and to determine how effective a teacher is. However,
standardized testing does not accurately portray what students really know. Curriculum has
gotten much harder and more strenuous for students and teachers. It seems as though we are
going back in time, when students were thought to be passive. Today we see teachers teaching
to the test and pouring irrelevant information into the minds of individuals. You could say its as
if we were in a traditional classroom setting once again with the teacher acting as an executive
force. In a traditional classroom the teacher is the full source of information. Students arent
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creating their own knowledge. Their opinions are not heard, and there is an emphasis on having
the correct, not wrong, answer. Teachers are strict and implement lecture-based, text-book
driven lessons that call for rote memorization.
I will demonstrate that we are at odds with what research has shown in how students best
acquire knowledge. According to Phillips and Soltis, we know that children do not learn by
being passive. This idea of a child being active, engaging in activities with others, and exploring
the world around us to gather knowledge was introduced to us early in the 20th century by John
Dewey. Around the same time, Piaget found that children engage with their environment in
order to construct knowledge and make meaningful connections. He also stated that children
develop in stages and as they grow they can revise their schema (organization or framework of
knowledge) when new knowledge is gained. Another theorist, Vygotsky, determined during the
early 20th century that a child needs guidance in order to learn. He created the term zone of
proximal development which means what a child can accomplish on his/her own and what he/she
can accomplish with some support. Also, he felt that children learn by imitating others:
especially when it comes to language development. (2009)
I will show that through all of these theorists ideas and the emergence of constructivist
theory, we have learned that students need the opportunity to become creative and innovative
individuals who are able to solve real-world problems through exploring their environment,
engaging in activities, using critical thinking skills, and collaborating with others. Students are
not being provided with opportunities to develop these skills. How are teachers supposed to
implement these best practices when the curriculum and teacher decision making has been
narrowed? Educators need to be in control of the system of education. Students are falling
through the cracks due to inaccurate portrayal of their knowledge through standardized testing.
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However, teachers, parents, and students can fight back by joining organizations, such as the Opt
Out Movement, and teachers learning to implement best practices within the classroom that
include alternative forms of assessment.
Resources
The majority of resources that I have found to help support my case are articles from
journal entries along with newspaper articles and three books: all written by credible and reliable
sources. Also, I conducted two in person interviews with professors of Alma College, and four
other interviews over email with an elementary school teacher, two paraprofessionals, and a
parent. I wanted to get a wide range of perspectives on standardized testing and assessments.
Content of Paper
This paper will explore historical aspects of education and the forces that are driving
what it has become today. It will look at how standardized testing found its way into our society
along with its initial intentions and actual outcomes. The tremendous amount of negative effects
standardized testing has on students and teachers will be explored along with other peoples
thoughts on it. This paper will discuss what parents, teachers, and students can do to go about
making changes to the system of education in order to improve student learning, student
assessment, and teacher evaluation.
History of Education and the Pendulum Swing
Through much research within the first half of the 20th century, educators found what
they believed students needed in the classroom in order to excel. According to Frost, it was
found that students needed to express their individuality and creativity. They needed time to

collaborate with others and do things for the community to have a sense for encountering realworld situations. Formative assessment, individualized assessment, observations, and running
diagnostics were at the forefront of determining how much knowledge a student knew. (Frost,
2007)
According to the U.S. Superintendent of Documents, there was an emphasis on letting
children be children throughout the early 20th century, and this thought was given more
recognition in 1940 after a White House Conference on Children and Youth. Academics were
necessary, but students still needed time to engage in exploring the world around them through
spontaneous play. Play was seen as developmentally appropriate for young children and allowed
them to grow socially and emotionally and helped to improve their gross motor skills. (1940) A
mechanized model of education focuses on one-size-fits-all testing and instruction and was never
accepted or recommended by national professional organizations, never supported by research,
and never embraced by educators and child development professionals. (Frost, pg 226)
Layton feels that some individuals methods of teaching now contradict these findings.
There has been a pendulum swing. We are going from a student-centered progressive approach
to a teacher-directed traditional approach. We now are seeing more aspects and teaching
strategies found within a traditional classroom. Teachers are seen as an executive force and
students are passive. These characteristics are the result of the No Child Left Behind Act which
was enacted in 2002 by George W. Bush as a way to ensure each child was making adequate
progress and that by 2014 each child would be proficient in both areas of reading and math.
Each year starting in 3rd grade and continuing into high school, students would be tested as a
means of assessment. (2014)

Standardized Testing and Society

Research suggests that the intentions behind No Child Left Behind were to have students
engage in high-stakes testing in order to improve their academic achievement and to lower the
drop-out rates. However, each child is different and expresses different needs. Their differences
are now being ignored. (Frost, 2007) Nichols and Berliner thought that through a punishment
and reward system teachers would be able to motivate their students to want to learn more,
helping them to reach academic success, and that it would motivate teachers to teach better.
(2008) According to Thorndike and his theory of operant conditioning a stimulus can produce a
response. In other words, you can change ones behavior in order to get one to do something by
providing him/her with a reward. The more it is practiced, the stronger the behavior will
become. (Phillips and Soltis, 2009)
Frost feels that educators are no longer the ones in charge of improving the system of
education: politicians are. Politicians are changing the curriculum in the classroom toward
standardized testing. (2007) According to Nichols and Berliner, standardized testing has
become a part of our society through changing demographics, business and accountability, the
future economy and well-educated workforce, the power elite, and competition. (2008)
Nichols and Berliner argue that businesses now control our democratic ways of life.
They influence the media and the government. All aspects of society such as government
spending, education policies, and so on are centered around a business model. This is why our
schools are now run like a business. Tests are implemented to monitor students and teachers, to
measure their progress, and to determine their levels of work ethic. Students and teachers are
held accountable for their results whether good or bad. Classrooms are teacher directed. (2008)

The Teacher seems like the manager of a kind of production line, whereby students enter the
factory as raw material and are somehow assembled as informed knowledgeable persons.
(Fenstermacher and Soltis, pg 59)
Research shows that as a society we believe that our future economy relies on our
students. This means that they must be well-educated and pushed to reach their fullest potential
in order to graduate from high school and further their learning by attending college or beginning
their careers. In other words, they must be career and college ready. Also, citizens that are
older, particularly whites, are living longer than they once did. They are investing their money
into politics. These individuals determine our societys economic system. They do not want to
see their money going to waste or to students who are seen as unfit in improving our society and
who may further contribute to its areas of weakness. (Nichols and Berliner, 2008)
Nichols and Berliner think that the power elite, along with the middle and upper class
believe that standardized testing has an advantage. The schools their children attend are ranked
well. These children normally perform very well on standardized tests; this is why these
individuals feel that these tests should remain. These individuals do have a lot of power,
authority, and say over the way schools can be run. Nichols and Berliner feel that as a society,
we like competition. They bring up sports and that the aspect of winning and losing is very
important to individuals. High-stakes tests are designed in a sport like manner. They promote
competition amongst students, teachers, and school districts. (2008)
Overall, Layton finds that the intentions behind No Child Left Behind and Race to the
Top are not being met. Obama and other political leaders agree. Tests are being used too
heavily within the classroom and students, schools, and teachers are being punished too heavily

for failure. They were never to be used as a form assessment that focuses on drilling students.
They wanted standardized tests to be used as data for diagnostic information to find where
children need more help, to find achievement gaps, and to see where students stand. (2013)
No Child Left Behind and the testing movement in general are turning into poorly
funded programs with more political dimensions than educational aspirations. (Goldberg, pg
15) Goldberg claims that rather than issuing standardized tests, it would be much more efficient
to leave the responsibility of assessing students to trustworthy teachers. However, many dont
find teachers capable of performing this task. More than one test should be administered a year
to how much students have progressed, however, those in charge want to save money. (2004) In
the end students and teachers face a multitude of consequences.
Those Affected by Standardized Testing and its Effects
Students
High stakes testing is damaging to children and teachers emotionally, physically, and
intellectually. (Frost, pg. 226) Frost argues that there are many negative impacts on students.
He feels that standardized tests place an overwhelming amount of stress and anxiety on students.
Teachers see their students coming into their classrooms in tears while others may misbehave.
Some may even see signs of depression in a student. Instances are occurring where students are
in desperate need of relaxing and staying calm before taking a test that they will take pills.
Students dont get to share their interests with others and there is no more time for child-initiated
play that fosters development. (2007) Solley finds that with standardized testing being the center
of focus in the classroom, students have lost all motivation to learn. Children no longer have any
intrinsic motivation. They dont want to learn for the sake of learning. There are fewer
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opportunities provided to students to make their own decisions, to critically analyze a situation,
and to think of resolutions to a problem. Students memorize meaningless facts through rote
memorization and are usually provided with extrinsic motivators. They are neither active nor
innovative and no longer enjoy all the wonderful learning experiences schools could provide its
students. Little or no learning actually occurs. (2007)
Underrepresented Students
A study by Nichols, Glass, and Berliner, has shown that minority students suffer from the
amount of pressure placed onto them by high-stakes testing. This pressure has greatly increased
the performance gap amongst race and economic status, with whites and those with money at the
top and those in the minority and who are poor at the bottom. (2005) High stakes testing
separates the deserving poor from the undeserving poor. It becomes an effect to preserve social
status more than to improve our schools. (Nichols and Berliner, pg 45)
Thompson and Allen have found that African Americans are affected by high-stakes
testing. The initiation of these tests has resulted in poorer methods of instruction, an increase in
apathy, stricter behavioral management, and fear of failure. (2012) Goldberg argues that,
African American students tend to have low expectations thrown upon them and they do not
receive a good education, that the No Child Left Behind Act promised they would be provided
with. High quality teachers dont want to teach in inner-city schools where these children live.
(2004) Therefore, since 2010, there has been limited improvement in test scores, an increase in
the achievement gap amongst black and white students, and an increase in dropout rates.
(Thompson and Allen, 2012)

Thompson and Allen think that with the increase in test taking, lessons becoming duller,
and teachers teaching to the test, students are not interested or concerned with their educational
experience. The information that they are learning is meaningless to them. Students are,
therefore, not engaged, and show lack of motivation. Research has shown that when asked if they
wanted better teachers, African Americans were at the top of the list saying that they did. 66%
of African Americans stated that they were bored in their classes. 75% of African American
students said they dont learn enough about their culture. (2012)
With teachers becoming stricter to make sure students are focusing on their academics in
order to do well on the tests, Thompson and Allen have found that harsher disciplinary actions
have been put into place. However, African Americans are punished more heavily than students
of other races. Also, there is an increased fear in failure. The schooling system is creating
narcissistic individuals, meaning that students are becoming self-absorbed and are striving to be
perfect. African Americans dont know how to express themselves or use creativity. They
arent remaining true to who they really are. They begin to think of themselves and not others in
order to get ahead. It is all about competition. (2012)
As the schools focus ever more on bringing low-performing students up to grade-level
standards the most brilliant, most creative students, already performing well beyond their grade
level, are left to languish in mediocrity and sameness. (Frost, pg 226) Thompson and Allen find
that high achieving students become disengaged with their schoolwork. They find the material
to be too easy and boring. They arent being challenged. No longer are they striving to be lifelong learners. The curriculum is narrow and students arent learning the skills necessary to
extend their growth. (2012)

Teachers
According to Thompson and Allen, with teachers having to teach to the test, they are
limited in what they can teach their students and how they go about teaching their students.
Teachers now have guidelines that they must follow and they are being told how and what to
teach. (2012) Research suggests that they have lost their creativity and hopes of designing
meaningful, engaging lessons. Overall, the purpose of education is being lost. All that matters
to teachers is improving test scores. (Scot et. al, 2009)
Researchers found that teachers know the best teaching strategies to use in order to get
their students to learn. They want them to learn how to critically analyze a situation, look
beyond the obvious in order to encounter new knowledge with a deeper level of understanding,
and to think outside of the box and not be scared when faced with challenging situations.
However, they arent allowed to implement these best practices. Also, they arent able to
differentiate instruction based on individual needs of each student. (Scot et. al, 2009)
Baresic and Gilman claim that teachers are now being assessed based on how well their
students perform on these standardized tests. We do live in a competitive world, so the fear of
losing a job or the excitement of getting a raise causes some teachers to get involved in cheating
scandals and other acts of indecency. When teachers know standardized tests are coming, theyll
ask their lower level students to not come into school. This way scores will go up and teachers
will look better. (2014) Layton stated that in March 2013, a superintendent, along with thirtyfour teachers were faced with criminal charges. They had changed some of their students
incorrect answers on the test. Another incident occurred at schools belonging to another district.

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Teachers belonging to this district gave their students the correct answers to the tests and that
they read certain sections of the test aloud to their students. (2013)
According to Goldberg, some teachers face the difficulty of having to fail students. They
are disheartened to have to fail students that have worked hard to move on, but have to stay
behind because they did not pass a standardized test. Even though each state has different
requirements with some allowing students may move on if faculty believes they have met the
goals set for them to achieve, parents arent notified with this information. (2004)
Dr. Seals stated, When we have more and more people at different levels telling us
what to do and how to do it pretty soon the problem with that is becoming a paraprofessional. I
didnt go to school for four years to do that. They can tell me what to teach, but when they tell
me how to teach it is time to leave education. (2014) If teachers continue to face these
unnecessary evaluations and strict regulations, many will fail to see why they loved teaching in
the first place, and will be leaving the field of education.
Errors, Reliability, and Penalties
According to Goldberg, there are always systematic errors when dealing with issuing
standardized tests. Glitches occur in the computer systems and answer keys are not always
correct. Also, there is a limited amount of time allotted to companies in making these tests.
They rush their way through making these tests allowing for more mistakes to be made. They
arent always accurate in portraying what an individual knows. Many would rather use a faulty
system of assessment, than spend money on finding a better way of assessing students. (2004)
Goldberg suggests that if a child is sick or if there is a distraction, the child may not
perform to the best of his/her ability. With these tests, schools are forced to provide data
11

disaggregated by race. If schools do not provide this information they face penalties. Schools
must show that all students in each group are making improvements. (2004) If adequately yearly
progress is not met, schools could be at risk of being closed or being controlled by private
businesses. (Nichols and Berliner, 2008)
The effects of standardized testing are monumental and having a faulty system that
doesnt accurately assess students intelligence does not make sense. Why keep these tests in
place when data shows that students and teachers are suffering? Cant money spent on
standardized testing be put elsewhere? Is there a way to stop standardized testing once and for
all? There is a solution, in response to these thoughts. More people now than ever arent
keeping quiet and are expressing their thoughts on the manner.
Opt-Out Movement
The St. Louis Post states that the new phenomenon that is sweeping the nation is the
Opt-Out Movement.

In response to the growing number of complaints and negative

consequences of standardized testing, parents, teachers, and students are taking a stand and
fighting back for what they believe the schooling process should be like. All of those involved
are choosing not to participate in the state administered tests. Parents find tests put unnecessary
stress on their children and that they focus too much on evaluating teachers and not enough on
determining how knowledgeable their kids are. Teachers find that these tests dont allow their
students to reach their fullest potential and dont foster creativity, higher level thinking, or group
discussions. Parents and teachers are forming groups on line through social media sites, such as
Facebook, to get their message across to others who may want to take part in the movement.
Many are forming protests, and their thoughts are being heard. In Seattle, a group of high school

12

students and teachers led a protest ending in the superintendent allowing the state administered
test to be optional. Many other instances like this have occurred. (2014)
According to Layton, those who do want to opt-out can find ways to get past the
regulations states have put into place. Pennsylvania and Florida are two states that have
alternative regulations in regards to taking the standardized test. Those in Pennsylvania can state
that due to religious reasons they will not take the test, and those in Florida can take part in other
forms of assessments like portfolios. (2013) According to the St. Louis Post, as of right now no
severe penalties or consequences have been put into action when individuals decide to opt-out.
Some states are declaring that only 95% of students need to participate in the state test. If a
school has less than 95% of its students taking the state administered test, money could be taken
away from the school. (2014)
However, many have still never heard of the Opt-Out Movement. When Mrs.
Steinbrink, an elementary teacher from Almont, was asked what her thoughts on the Opt-Out
Movement were, she replied back that she had never heard of it: same with Donna VanDyken, a
mother of two boys who attend Schoolcraft High school, and Kristy Bryan and Debbie Sheffield,
paraprofessionals from Almont Elementary School.
Best Practices in the Classroom and Alternative Forms of Assessment
Assessment should be in the form of authentic assessment as much as possible. This
includes such things as writing samples, projects, oral presentations, and demonstration of skills.
It should be assessments that hit a variety of childrens learning modalities, stated Thelen.
Thelen never tests her students to determine how knowledgeable they are. She does assign
quizzes but only in one class, and they arent worth many points. A lot of her assessments
13

involve oral presentations, writing assignments, and classroom discussions. Thelen believes that
formative and summative methods of assessment should be used and assessments need to be
ongoing, as well. (2014)
According to Solley, teaching, learning, and assessment are linked together: one cant be
done without the other. High quality instruction that is developmentally appropriate is necessary
along with student evaluation in order for children to continue their journey of learning.
Assessment should focus on how much a student has achieved. It should not focus on how
poorly a student is doing in a particular area of study. Also, assessment should be a collaborative
process. Students, teachers, and parents need to communicate their thoughts with one another.
Each and every student should be assessed on an ongoing basis: this is known as formative.
Students should learn how to self assess, as well. When children are allowed and encouraged to
self-assess, they begin to understand why they are doing what they are doing. (pg 35)
Alternative forms of assessment can be used within the classroom to take the place of
standardized testing. (2007)
Solley states that a portfolio is a way of collecting and organizing student work.
Portfolios contain samples of student work that show the amount of improvement and
achievement that has taken place over time. This kind of assessment is meaningful to students.
They feel like they are in control of their own learning. They have concrete examples to look at
that show them they are capable of making improvements to their work over time. Teachers help
students to pick out the examples of work they want to showcase in their portfolio. They make
sure to select pieces that show the student has reached the target and/or standards. The process
of learning is shown through a portfolio. By making one, students gain motivation, see
themselves as learners, and want to learn more. (2007)
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According to Solley, performance assessment is letting students demonstrate their

knowledge of understanding. Most often this entails students being active and engaging in
discussions with other students. It involves them encountering a situation, analyzing it, and
drawing their own conclusions. Students are expected to make their own decisions and to
demonstrate higher level thinking skills. Examples of performance based assessments are acting
out a historical event, conducting an experiment, or writing a paper. Children learn to apply the
skills that they have learned through these activities. Students are actively engaged in the
experience and they dont see it as pointless. (2007) Teachers are, in many cases, more likely to
understand what a student has mastered and where the student needs additional help from this
type of performance-focused testing than from a fill-in-the-bubble multiple choice test that is,
admittedly, easier to machine score. (Marx, pg 159)
According to Ediger, by observing their students, teachers get to know their students
needs. Almost immediately when observing, the teacher diagnoses and begins to remediate
student difficulties in the classroom setting. (pg 137) Then they can go about helping their
students in the areas that may need improvement. Teachers become facilitators in the learning
process. (2007) Observations, along with the other forms of assessment previously stated, are
effective methods in determining if students actually understand a concept trying to be taught.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I agree with educators, parents, and researchers that there is too much
emphasis on standardized testing within the system of education. Standardized tests had good
intentions at first, but as years go by more and more unrealistic goals are set for students to
reach. The effects of these tests are detrimental to both students and teachers. The pressure

15

keeps on building for students to do well in order to move on to the next grade, to graduate, and
go to college. These tests determine students future success. Students are anxious when it
comes to taking tests. Students are unable to learn necessary skills, like higher-order thinking,
cooperative learning, and problem-solving, that they will need to know how to use in the realworld. Other subject areas like the arts which help foster a students creativity are being taken
away.
Teachers are evaluated on how well their students perform. They are at a much higher
risk of losing their jobs, and competition has increased dramatically with the drive of being the
best. In response many have been caught in cheating scandals. Also, teachers are limited with
what they can teach due to the narrow curriculum. There are so many standards and guidelines
in place that there is no flexibility in the schedule to implement creative hands-on activities for
students to engage in.
Students are failing to meet the expectations set for them: these are unrealistic.
Students should not go to school anxious and scared of failure. Rather than sit back and watch
their children suffer from the amount of pressure standardize testing puts on their children,
parents are allowing their students to opt-out of standardized testing. As a society, we rely on
standardized testing way too much as a form of assessment when there are other good ones out
there, such as performance-based.
Individuals can no longer approach education with a business mindset. No longer
should the political elites be in charge of what is happening within the classrooms. Teachers
should not be told what to teach and how to teach. Classrooms need to be given back to
educators. There needs to be more flexibility within the classroom. It is most beneficial to

16

provide students with multiple learning opportunities, to allow students to engage in activities
that meet their interests, and provide them with meaningful experiences.
However, the difference between standardized testing and high-stakes testing needs to
be cleared. The resources that I used for my research did not distinguish the two. Standardized
testing is the standardization of testing practices. These tests were meant to see where students
were at and to measure their growth. High stakes testing emerged once accountability and
money were tied in to testing outcomes. Teachers and schools were held accountable for lack of
student growth determined by low test scores, and they faced consequences for these unwanted
results.
Within society, educational trends tend to go back and forth, and as of now there is a new
pendulum swing that is occurring. Newtons law is at work: To any action, there is an equal
and opposite reaction. The outcome of the standards movement likely will be an increased
demand for personalization of education. In a world crying for creative, knowledgeable people
whove had an opportunity to develop their multitude of talents and abilities, what could be more
positive? (Marx, pg 142)
Joining the Opt-Out Movement is the best way to get this message across. People need to
realize how knowledgeable our students actually are. Students need to be in control of their own
lives and determine their own futures. However, we must keep in mind that the transition to
performance driven assessments that assess common core subjects is now in effect. SMARTER
Balanced and PAARC assessments are now being distributed across the nation. We dont know
if these tests will have the same negative effects as other standardized tests or whether they will

17

have high-stakes attached: we dont know how they will be used. Only with time will we know
if they are beneficial, and if the scores will accurately show what a student really knows.

18

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