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The TikTok video “POV: Honest ACT/SAT Tutor” by James Leonidas shows a tutor admitting that the SAT and ACT don’t really measure intelligence, creativity, or real-world skills. Instead, they test memorization, formula use, and test-taking strategies. The video is funny but also makes a serious point that even people who prepare students for these exams see how flawed and stressful they are. It highlights one of the biggest problems with standardized testing which is that they focus on short term tricks rather than actual learning or ability, making the system unfair for many students.

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#ACT #SAT #College #Highschool #standardizedtesting #Comedysketch 

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@jamesleonidas2
#ACT #SAT #College #Highschool #standardizedtesting #Comedysketch
♬ original sound - James Klusaritz

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Effects of Standardized Testing on Students & Teachers

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Effects of Standardized Testing on Students & Teachers

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This American University article explains both the supposed benefits and the real problems with standardized testing in US schools. It points out that while tests are meant to measure achievement and hold schools accountable, they actually cause a lot of stress for students, narrow the curriculum to mostly math and reading, and ignore how different kids learn. It also shows how teachers feel pressured to “teach to the test,” spend too much time on test prep, and sometimes get judged unfairly when scores don’t reflect their actual teaching. The article suggests alternatives like portfolios and performance-based assessments, which do a better job of showing real learning, but overall it makes clear that standardized testing has more downsides than benefits.

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The use of standardized testing to measure academic achievement in US schools has fueled debate for nearly two decades. Understanding the effects of standardized testing-its key benefits and challenges-requires a closer examination of what standardized testing is and how it's used in academic settings.

Developing ways to effectively and fairly measure academic achievement is an ongoing challenge for school administrators. For those inspired to promote greater equity in education, American University's Online Doctor of Education (EdD) in Education Policy and Leadership provides the knowledge and training to address such challenges.

What Are Standardized Tests?

Standardized tests are examinations administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner. They typically rely heavily on question formats, such as multiple choice and true or false, that can be automatically scored. Not limited to academic settings, standardized tests are widely used to measure academic aptitude and achievement.

The ACT and SAT, standardized tests used broadly for college admissions, assess students' current educational development and their aptitude for completing college-level work. Standardized academic achievement tests are mandatory in primary and secondary schools in the US, where they're designed and administered at the state or local level and used to assess requirements for federal education funding.

Standardized testing requirements are designed to hold teachers, students, and schools accountable for academic achievement and to incentivize improvement. They provide a benchmark for assessing problems and measuring progress, highlighting areas for improvement.

Despite these key benefits, standardized academic achievement tests in US public schools have been controversial since their inception. Major points of contention have centered on who should design and administer tests (federal, state, or district level), how often they should be given, and whether they place some school districts at an advantage or disadvantage. More critically, parents and educators have questioned whether standardized tests are fair to teachers and students.

Effects of Standardized Testing on Students

Some of the challenging potential effects of standardized testing on students are as follows:

Standardized test scores are often tied to important outcomes, such as graduation and school funding. Such high-stakes testing can place undue stress on students and affect their performance.

Standardized tests fail to account for students who learn and demonstrate academic proficiency in different ways. For example, a student who struggles to answer a multiple-choice question about grammar or punctuation may be an excellent writer.

By placing emphasis on reading, writing, and mathematics, standardized tests have devalued instruction in areas such as the arts, history, and electives.

Standardized tests are thought to be fair because every student takes the same test and evaluations are largely objective, but a one-size-fits-all approach to testing is arguably biased because it fails to account for variables such as language deficiencies, learning disabilities, difficult home lives, or varying knowledge of US cultural conventions.

Effects of Standardized Testing on Teachers

Teachers as well as students can be challenged by the effects of standardized testing. Common issues include the following:

The need to meet specific testing standards pressures teachers to "teach to the test" rather than providing a broad curriculum.

Teachers have expressed frustration about the time it takes to prepare for and administer tests.

Teachers may feel excessive pressure from their schools and administrators to improve their standardized test scores.

Standardized tests measure achievement against goals rather than measuring progress.

Achievement test scores are commonly assumed to have a strong correlation with teaching effectiveness, a tendency that can place unfair blame on good teachers if scores are low and obscure teaching deficiencies if scores are high.

Alternative Achievement Assessments

Critics of standardized testing often point to various forms of performance-based assessments as preferable alternatives. Known by various names (proficiency-based, competency-based), they require students to produce work that demonstrates high-level thinking and real-world applications. Examples include an experiment illustrating understanding of a scientific concept, group work that addresses complex problems and requires discussion and presentation, or essays that include analysis of a topic.

Portfolio-based assessments emphasize the process of learning over letter grades and normative performance. Portfolios can be made up of physical documents or digital collections. They can include written assignments, completed tests, honors and awards, art and graphic work, lab reports, or other documents that demonstrate either progress or achievement. Portfolios can provide students with an opportunity to choose work they wish to reflect on and present.

Performance-based assessments aren't a practical alternative to standardized tests, but they offer a different way of evaluating knowledge that can provide a more complete picture of student achievement. Determining which systems of evaluation work best in specific circumstances and is an ongoing challenge for education administrators.

Work for Better Student Outcomes with a Doctorate in Education

Addressing the most critical challenges facing educators, including fair and accurate assessment of academic achievement, requires administrators with exceptional leadership and policy expertise. Discover how the Online EdD in Education Policy and Leadership at American University prepares educators to create equitable learning environments and effect positive change.

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Effects of Standardized Testing on Students & Teachers | American University

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What are the effects of standardized testing on students and teachers? Explore how standardized tests are used, including their key benefits and challenges.

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In her Ted Talk, Nikki Adeli explains that standardized tests don’t measure important skills like creativity, critical thinking, or real world problem solving. Instead, they focus on memorization, formulas, and test taking strategies, which fail to reflect a student’s true abilities or potential. She points out that this narrow focus can discourage meaningful learning and place unnecessary stress and competition on students. She focuses on the point that standardized testing can overlook talent, reinforce inequalities, and emphasize the wrong skills, making them a flawed tool for assessing student achievement.

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What standardized tests don't measure | Nikki Adeli | TEDxPhiladelphia

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How Standardized Tests Are Limiting for Those With Disabilities

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How Standardized Tests Are Limiting for Those With Disabilities

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I really wanted to address how standardized testing affects those who have disabilities. I found this article that covered the most common and main learning disabilities. It explains that kids with dyslexia, ADHD, ADD, dysgraphia, non-verbal disabilities, visual, hearing or motor challenges struggle with even the basic parts of a test, like reading the questions quickly or filling in bubbles, which makes their scores look lower than their actual intelligence or abilities. The article highlights how timed tests are a huge issue, even though some students can apply for extra time through accommodations like the SAT/ACT, the process is complicated and not always enough. On top of that, the pressure and repeated failures can damage self-esteem, increase dropout risks, and even lead to long-term negative outcomes like unemployment. Overall, the article makes it clear that standardized tests don’t give a fair or accurate picture of what students with disabilities can really do.

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This cartoon shows a job interview where the boss asks what real world skills the applicant has, and he just answers, “Tests. I can take tests.” It’s making fun of how school and standardized testing often focus more on getting good scores than on teaching skills people actually need in life. The joke points out that being good at taking tests doesn’t really help much in the real world, which is one of the big problems with relying too much on standardized testing.

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This New York Times article shows that SAT scores are strongly tied to a student’s socioeconomic background. The article shows graphs that students from wealthier families tend to score higher because they have more access to resources like tutoring, test prep, and extracurricular opportunities, while lower-income students often face disadvantages that result in lower their scores. This highlights a major problem with standardized testing and shows that these tests do not just measure student's ability. It reflects the problem of inequality, and gives an unfair advantage to students who do not already have more support and a head start for a better score.

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New SAT Data Highlights the Deep Inequality at the Heart of American Education (Published 2023)

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The differences in how rich and poor children are educated start very early.