The topic of Standardised testing is well-debated topic and there are many controversies

related to the topic. There are different views about the topic, as most of the people think it is
an accurate way to measure performance of the student and effectiveness of teaching method.
Some people think that a single test cannot effectively measure the abilities of an individual
and the practice of standardised testing is misused. There are many arguments on the topic
and in the present essay the pros and cons of the standardised testing have been discussed
briefly.
There are many pros of standardises testing and the practice is repeatedly used by the
teachers around the world. It helps to hold the teachers and school accountable for their
teaching methods as the result of the test become a public record. Thus, if school and teachers
are not performing better, they come under direct scrutiny that can eventually lead to their job
loss and school can be closed as well by the state. The practice of standardised testing helps
to guide the teachers about teaching material and method. Thus, lead to less wastage of time
and effective time management. Standardised testing is a helpful way through which parents
can evaluate the performance of their child. The results can be compared on various levels
such as district and state level. This comparison is not possible without standardised testing.
There are set of instructions and standards that provide an instructional framework for the
teachers that help to guide about teaching method and content. The test is objective in nature
and often test is scored by the computer that reduces the chances of biasness. Hence, the test
is an effective method to evaluate performance of the student in a non-bias manner.

Despite of many pros, there are various cons of the standardised testing. One of the main cons
of the practice is that it does not account the impact of external factors. There are students
who are intelligent but develop a test anxiety that hinders them to perform well on that
particular day. Similarly there could be many reasons such as fight with parents, disturbed
physical state and mind that could lead to bad performance of the students. Standardised
testing fosters a boring atmosphere and leads to lack of creativity as teachers only teach
selected material and neglect the skills of the students The overall growth around the year of
the student is neglected and only individual performance of the student is evaluated with the
help of this test. The performance of single test cannot determine the overall growth around
the year. Standardised testing leads to create an immense pressure on educators and students.
Many teachers quit the job due to immense pressure on them, to prepare the students for the
test. Students also face intense pressure and stress of preparation. Despite of the fact that test
is checked with the help of computer but it is made by teachers. The teacher could be from
any state and test could be biased if it is based on certain methodology.
The above discussion leads to conclusion that there are various pros and cons of Standardised
testing and despite of all these pros and cons it is hard to say whether it is good or bad. It is
hard to give a final verdict on the topic.

5. Many people say that though the answers are checked by computers, but in their inception
they
are made by a teacher who may be from a white or black population. So, what if the questions
are
made according to the teaching styles of a particular state? Won't that lead to a bias? It has
been
found that racial minorities have not been able to perform well in standardized tests.
However, it
has been found in the U.S. that Asian origin students have performed better in standardized
tests.
So, this argument remains a vague perception.
6. The success of the schools is dependent on the performance of their students. The federal
funds
are given only to those schools that perform well. This adds an extra pressure on public
schools to
constantly evaluate their performance. This often leads to unhealthy competition among the
schools. The impacts of standardized tests on high school students have evoked a mixed
response.
Strict schedule and tough screening process prove to be a torture for some students. Though
some
adapt easily to standardized tests. These tests have been found to reduce group activities
among
students. Because the students spend a lot of time in preparing for standardized tests and
therefore, skip the daily routines of playing and exercising.
7. There has been a misconception that students and kids with learning disabilities, such as
dyslexia perform poorly in standardized tests. However, the fact is that disabled kids have
performed better when they provided with necessary support and motivation. Standardized
tests
are recommended by some and disregarded by others. However, the fact is that every student
goes
through these tests sometime or the other in his/her academic career.
8. Some school systems are under great pressure to raise their scores so they have resorted to

decreasing (and sometimes doing away with) time spent in recess. This can have negative
impact
on childrens social, emotional, and academic well-being.
9. Standardized tests can place a huge amount of stress on students and teachers alike. This
can
lead to negative heal