Photo Crdit: KAYLEE OBERFIELD
BY SABRINA VICTOR
Although research shows that one of the best investments we can make in a child’s life is high-quality early education, it seems as though American Society fails to recognize the value of learning. In the past, the United States reigned as a global leader in education; however, now our education system continues to steadily decline. While other countries continue to grow, our standards plummet. According to NBC News, in 2013 when compared to the 34 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, the United States ranked 26th in math, 21st in science and 17th in reading. The faltering of our nation in education can be attributed to many factors, but the most prominent is standardized testing. Standardized tests, such as the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) forces educators to teach strictly what’s on the state mandated curriculum, puts teachers under immense pressure, and detracts from other subjects.
As far as math goes, American students fail to truly comprehend problems, but instead are just taught to solve them so they can finish testing in a successful and timely manner. When students are faced with different types of problems, such as word problems, they lack the critical thinking skills to use logic and figure out the problem out for themselves. We place too much importance on these tests, inherently eroding the love many once had for learning.
Moreover, the importance placed on these tests that predominantly focuses on reading and math, causes us to overlook education in the arts, history, civics, science, and foreign language. Teaching by the “test” is causing a hindrance in the American Education System and continues to pose a great barrier from exploration in the Arts.
According to the New York Times, it is “mandatory that schools create and enforce a strict curriculum based on the material covered on these tests”. As early as kindergarten, kids are forced to focus on nonfictional pieces, simply because these are the types of pieces tested on in the 3rd grade. Rather than allowing them the freedom to study the works of great fiction writers throughout the era, students are forced to stick to one aspect of literature. Writing Standardized tests also heavily restrict the different writing styles students are taught. In 10th grade, teachers are obliged to train students to write formulaic essays and students are veered away from establishing their own unique style. Not only does this give students a false pretense on what writing is all about, it also puts students at a disadvantage in college, where professors will not accept the writing style that has been taught.
When school ratings and teacher paychecks are dependent on the scores, the pressure starts to mount. These tests disable teachers from teaching based on what seems necessary for a particular group of students. Why? Because their career is on the line based off of scores that don’t even measure intelligence. Teachers are evaluated as either “ineffective” or “highly effective” based on these tests, despite the types of students they may be working with, giving teachers who have higher level students a substantially higher advantage over those teachers working with average students. These tests, according to the Chicago Tribune, are also utilized to determine the salary of teachers. With threats hanging over and a family to provide for, teachers are discouraged from providing all the knowledge they have to offer due to the fear of a lowered salary. In a nation where garbage men make more than those who educate our future generations, it is absolutely absurd to base teacher pay off of student performance. These standards have resulted in scandals in which several states “manipulate scores” to inflate results and increase federal funding. In reality, the stress imposed on school boards and teachers to get those “high” scores is just causing a hotbed of dishonesty, not improving the education of students.
It is time to throw out the multiple choice tests, create authentic performance tests that will lead to real-world education and hands-on training, and then finally a job/career which will ultimately increase American competiveness in the global market. Standardized testing is ineffective and it’s time to make some changes in our education system. After all, the future of America depends on it.
