Standardized testing is a controversial topic that has sparked an interesting debate over whether or not they are beneficial to students.  Teachers are split on what to do with class structure. Some suggest that standardized testing has positive effects on students and needs to stay in the classroom, while others say it needs to be thrown out. Two EHS teachers, Bob Wolf and Terese Vogel, shared their opinions on standardized testing.  

     “I think they [standardized tests] have a place in education, but we have to be careful to make sure we don’t give them more power than they deserve,” said Wolf.

    Standardized testing has been used a lot by schools across the country for years now.  In fact, according to a Washington Post article by Valerie Strauss, 66 school districts across the nation had students take an average of 112.3 standardized tests from preschool to senior year in high school.  This is among a multitude of causes of an intense debate over standardized testing’s productiveness, effects on students, and worth, which has been spreading at a rapid pace.

    Daniel Koretz, a Harvard Graduate School of Education professor, said in a New York Times article that too much emphasis is put on standardized testing.  “Problematic items do sometimes occur even in good tests, and that is one more reason it is never acceptable to make a consequential decision based on a single test score,” said Koretz.

    Vogel also thinks too much importance is placed on standardized testing. “I think there [should be] less emphasis on standardized testing because… they don’t show the knowledge of students,” she stated.

    Some say standardized testing is beneficial to students, while others say it is harmful. Vogel believes standardized testing is harmful to students. “I don’t think it’s beneficial… because it shows them that their value is in a test score and not in their knowledge,” she said.

    Wolf takes after a more balanced viewpoint.“I would say neutral, but they can become harmful if we have to give up a lot of learning time,” he said.

    To a lot of people, there are advantages and disadvantages to standardized testing.

    Wolf also sees those two sides to standardized testing.   “They give us a snapshot- a quick picture of what kids know. The downside is they can be used to kind of compare schools, which they don’t do a good job of. They are overemphasized and… too many people think they’re the judge. They don’t do a very good job of predicting future success,” he said.

    There is valuable information on both sides of the spectrum in the standardized testing debate. Regardless of the differing opinions, standardized testing lives on, and along with that, the debate over its effects.

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