One of the most important institutions in American life is testing. Based on standardized tests, children are sorted and categorized early in their educational careers.
Standardized testing becomes more and more critical as minority students get closer to finishing high school, especially in underperforming districts.Test scores are heavily weighted when making decisions about higher education. Graduate and professional school admissions decisions are influenced in part by test scores.
Professional advancement and job placement are both aided by standardized tests. Modern life is significantly impacted by testing daily. When testing appears unfair or destructive to the welfare of those being tested, it isn’t easy to check and control its influence.
Testing procedures can hurt racial minorities because they can be used as a convenient excuse for discrimination. Racial minorities in the United States have historically performed worse on standardized tests than their white counterparts due to historical discrimination in areas such as education, health, and housing.
Standardized testing and minority students: what do they mean?
Objectivity, standardization, reliability, and validity are used to describe test terminology. The paper focuses on the validity of standardized testing, not just its neutrality. These tests are used to prove their effectiveness. The Committee on Testing and Basic Skills of the National Academy of Education is cited as a source of the decline in satisfactory test results.
- There has been an increase in the number of courses available.
- Misperceptions about the proper function of educators.
- Slowing down of focus on the current task.
- The downfall of high-selective academic environments for secondary school students.
Research on alternative testing methods and critical evaluations of standardized testing are widely cited.
For Minority Students, Standardized Testing Has Implications.
Minority Students and the Impact of Standardized Testing
Most schools in the country now supervise standardized tests as a curriculum. These assessments were designed to be given consistently to demonstrate students’ overall progress.
Standardized tests require the same set of answers from every student. Students are given a set amount of time to complete the exams, which may or may not include multiple-choice and true/false questions.
The purpose of these exams is to compare the abilities of different students. Although computerized scoring removes any potential bias, many people still believe this testing method is completely unbiased when assigning grades.
President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002. This benchmark modernized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, making schools responsible for student progress.
All states and schools should improve Language skills, special education, low-income, and performance of minority students. The legislation sets high student performance standards. State or school Title I funding could be lost if they don’t meet this standard. Only Title I-funded schools would be impacted; those are the most at risk.
The bulk of the criticism comes from here. The No Child Left Behind law increased federal involvement to ensure that all students are held accountable for their academic progress. These students are ultimately being pushed to improve their scores so that the school does not lose funding. Respecting the dignity and worth of each individual by giving them what they are due. Unless they differ in ways relevant to the situation, all individuals should be treated equally. For example, white, middle, and upper-background students take the same standardized tests; some students will do better because they can afford better preparation and schools. As a result of this achievement gap, underprivileged, poor students will face unfairness between those who can and cannot afford to attend a well-funded school.
Many of these students will face challenges to succeed in school and earn their diplomas because they attend schools with limited resources. The condition and status of a school, the fairness of the tests, and the level of education of a student are all factors that should be taken into consideration when instructing these students.
Solution
Standardized tests have caused many problems for low-income and minority students. Adequate school resources and the effects of poverty and racism on student success must be addressed head-on. No Child Left Behind must not use high-stakes tests to evaluate schools or students. Only teachers and other school personnel from their own schools should be considered. It can determine if a student needs extra study help. States shouldn’t have to meet a standard to receive federal funds.
States and districts should not hold students back or place them on a particular academic track based solely on test scores.
Minority students are suffering because of this overemphasis on standardized testing, and we must do something about it.
