Standardized Testing And A Grading System - 1629 Words

As a student I never really thought much about the grading system used by our public education system. As long as I passed I really did not care too much unless my parents put pressure on me to do better. I was an indifferent student who was fairly smart and did the minimum to get by. But that was then and this is now. Going into the field of education has opened my eyes to the competitive world in which modern day students are pressured to succeed. At the heart of this is the push for Common Core Standards, standardized testing and a grading system that is little changed since I was a student. However, it is not only the students who are being graded anymore. In order to improve academic performance teachers are now being targeted with grades on their performance. But is this really the best system we have for measuring success? In order to better understand how education has evolved we need to understand how we ended up where we are today. In the beginning there was only a pass fail system for education and students stayed with a teacher until they thought the student had achieved the requisite knowledge necessary. It was not until the 1700’s that a different system of grading was used. Unlike today’s system this system was a percentage system and was designed as a way in which educators could provide each other and parents with a way to gauge a student’s ability. This system was loosely based off of a system used for grading shoes made in a factory. The shoes were gradedShow MoreRelatedStandardized Testing Is Important For Education1250 Words   |  5 Pagesour education system that standardized testing is important for education. There is a belief that standardized testing is important student outcomes. The educational establishment believes that we should use standardized test to evaluate students and teachers. They believe that we should fire bad and incompetent teachers. . These bureaucrats believe that students need to evaluated based on standardized test. They believe there should be more accountability in our education system. What they wantRead MoreWhy Is A Standards Based Education Problematic? Essay759 Words   |  4 Pagesan educational Olympics† (Armstrong, et al., 21). This type of curriculum emphasizes competition rather than focusing on the individual student’s unique talents and abilities. †¢ C. Thomas Holmes also opposes standards-based education, claiming â€Å"Standardized test results should be used for identifying areas in curriculum that need improvement, not for holding students accountable† (Armstrong, et al., 21). Evidence: The Teaching Today, Edition Nine textbook briefly outlines three major proponents ofRead MoreWeek 7 Weak Curriculum Vsinadequateinst1238 Words   |  5 Pagesprocess of what works best to achieve higher level learning among students. Curriculum mainly focuses on the knowledge and skills that are important to learn where as instruction is what learning will be achieved to meet the needs of students, standardized testing, and outcomes. Teachers in the 21st century have to employ instructional strategies that are innovative, research-proven techniques/strategies, technologies, and real world resources-contexts in order to differentiate among the many learningRead MoreStandardized Testing : A Gateway Of Opportunities And Successes For Many Scholarship Bound Students821 Words   |  4 Pages Ogechi Nwokonko Mr. Marshall English 1301 11/12/2014 Researched Argument Although standardized testing was a gateway of opportunities and successes for many scholarship bound students, it was also the downfall in the educational system today. How can we define standardized testing? According to the Edglossary, state testing can be defined as a test that: â€Å"requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from common bank of questions, in the same way, and thatRead More Alternative Assessment Essay examples1282 Words   |  6 Pagesstated that â€Å"the obsession with standardized test scores has set our agenda back decades. In some cases, it is impossible to propose project-based learning, because the entire academic year is devoted to practicing for statewide testing.† He went on to say that things can be different (Montague, 2000). He is correct; there are other ways to â€Å"test† student knowledge that are more beneficial to the students. These are called alternative assessment forms. Standardized tests can take various formsRead MoreTesting And De Grading Schools : Authentic Alternatives For Accountability And Standardization1080 Words   |  5 PagesJuly 4, 2015 EDDL 941 Book Review Bower, J., Thomas, P. L. (Eds.). (2013). De-testing and de-grading schools: Authentic alternatives to accountability and standardization. New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc. Synopsis: I found De-testing and de-grading schools: Authentic alternatives to accountability and standardization by Bower and Thomas, an interesting read and consistent with the critiques of high stakes testing and assessment we’ve read about and watched in this class. It is a collectionRead MoreStandardized Testing Should Be Required1107 Words   |  5 PagesStandardized testing today is used in almost all schools and universities. These tests are designed in a certain way that are administered and recorded in a reliable method. Standardized testing is where all the test takers are obligatory to answer the same set of examinations. These exams sometimes have multiple choice or true or false questions, and the test takers are given a time frame to answer all the problems. Standardized testing is used to compare the performances of the individuals in aRead MoreThe Benefits Of Standardized Testing887 Words   |  4 PagesStandardized Testing is Not Valuable Standardized testing, what is considered to be a fair and balanced way of evaluating a student’s academic progress, is an incredibly controversial topic. The most well known standardized tests are the PSAT, ACT, SAT, and SAT II. Each of these standardized tests share a similar protocol: all students are to have the same set of questions and are to be scored in a â€Å"standard† manner (the usage of a computerized system). The makers and educators of the standardizedRead MoreStandardized Testing For Students Knowledge Of Materials And General Intelligence1598 Words   |  7 Pagesideas about how to formally assess student achievement. By the early 1900’s, statewide testing programs were becoming very common. Since then, the U.S. has been using standardized testing to assess students’ knowledge of materials and general intelligence (Alcocer). Standardized tests do not accurately assess students’ knowledge or academic potential. Many educational professionals feel that without standardized testing there would be no consistency in measuring student achievement and assessing the efficiencyRead MoreTaking a Look at Standardized Testing1518 Words   |  6 PagesStandardized Testing Currently Standardized Testing is one of the many issues currently plaguing the education community. Testing is a very touchy and controversial topic in the politics of education, particularly in the United States. There are many varying opinions debating on the successes and failures in the process of testing today. The controversies over standardized testing in the United State, and specifically New Jersey, stem from the testing process and the creation of these tests. Some