What standardized tests do you have on your workload this year? Standardized testing is typically seen as a helpful tool to assess students’ growth over time. However, as with many things, there are positives and negatives. 

Standardized testing can help give students motivation, and encouragement. It also can measure the growth of the student and shows what needs to be improved as well as what the student is doing well in. 

Though the question is asked, can a number on a screen really determine this much? It is argued that test anxiety affects the outcome of the score. It’s also mentioned that the test is taken too lightly, resulting in students not trying, and rushing through the test. This then raises the question if test scores are accurate. 

Another thing mentioned in this argument is that the test creates significant stress, or that standardized tests cannot possibly show what a student is worth. They are taken so seriously that students feel that these scores determine their intelligence.

All in all, testing can be a helpful tool when used in moderation, and furthermore it’s important to not abuse testing because if we do, it creates inaccurate results, and defeats the essential purpose of testing. It’s also important to recognize that there is more to you than the score you receive.