“Accommodate, Don’t Discriminate”

Standardized tests are aimed to be inclusive and non-discriminatory. They have a goal of making sure the content is equivalent for all students. If we use different tests for certain groups of people, such as minorities or people with disabilities, we are creating an unfairness.

As former Washington, DC public schools chancellor Michelle Rhee stated, “You can’t separate them [students with disabilities and students without disabilities], and to try to do so creates two, unequal systems, one with accountability and one without it.” With this, Rhee was arguing for an “accommodate, don’t discriminate” approach.

http://worklife.columbia.edu/files_worklife/public/Pros_and_Cons_of_Standardized_Testing_1.pdf

However, creating a separate test/standard of measure is not discriminating, but actually accommodating. For example, people with poor vision wear glasses, the blind use Braille, and the hard-of-hearing use cochlear implants. These are accommodations for people with special needs. If there was not a Braille system in place, we would be discriminating against those with special needs. Just how we accommodate for people in everyday life, we should accommodate for students in school and when testing.

Students with disabilities perform poorly on current standardized tests when compared to their non-disabled counterparts. Creating a different standard of measure for students with disabilities is accommodating their needs. Not doing so creates a bias by not recognizing their needs. Most of the time, students with disabilities are not being taught the same material as their non-disabled counterparts. With so much reliance on test scores and a lack of exposure to certain subject, students with disabilities face many barriers.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/02/why-opt-out-standardized-tests_n_5078209.html

Another group standardized testing discriminates towards is English language learners. These students have to take a test, sometimes high-stakes, before they’ve even had the chance to master English. This can cause confusion and a lack of understanding during the test. An excelling student can be mislabeled as failing due to their test scores. If the test is high-stakes and the student does not perform well, they can face many consequences, including being moved to a remedial class, repeating a grade, or not graduating.

Though standardized tests are created to be equal, they fail to recognize that everyone is not equal. This “standard” cannot measure every person’s intellect.

High-Stakes Standardized Testing

Source: introf10sou.wikispaces.com

This blog lists some of the problems with high-stakes standardized tests, or those in which the results are used to determine possible benefits or punishments. They include, but are not limited to, teachers focusing only on subject areas that will be on the test, cancellation of art programs, the pressure placed on educators to produce good results, and disadvantages for English language learners.

Those Students Standardized Testing Doesn’t Consider

Source: tcdailyplanet.net

As the accompanying article discusses, standardized tests do not take into account all the people who have to take them. Everyone is different and everyone learns in different ways. One of the populations standardized tests do not consider is students with special needs. As mentioned in the article, an excelling student can be incorrectly categorized as failing. And for the parents of these students, these tests feel like “one more slap in the face” by restating what they already know.

Standardized Testing And Teachers

Source: indianahistory.org

The above comic supports the accompanying article, which discusses the debate of standardized testing. According to the article, standardized tests are associated with teacher and school performance, leading to the possibility of teachers getting fired and schools closing. For this reason, teachers focus on testing, rather than teaching. They prepare students for taking tests, rather than teach the material of the class, ultimately hindering the students for the future.

Is Standardized Testing Fair?

Source: campusexplorer.com

This visual shows different facts pertaining to standardized testing. It discusses the question of whether standardized testing is fair. As stated above, standardized tests are created in a way that is constant, no matter who is taking it. However, as the statistics listed show, there are many factors, external and internal, that affect a person’s ability to do well on a standardized test.

Niké Alade

My name is Niké Alade, and I’m currently a junior psychology and communications double major at the University of Maryland. I plan on pursuing a career in either public relations working for a non-profit organization, or working in a research lab conducting studies.

The issue of standardized testing is important to me because I don’t believe they give a fair opportunity for everyone taking it. The way they are designed, everyone gets the same test and it is administered in the same way. However, no one is the same and people have different learning styles. What might work for one person might not work for another. Some people succeed at taking tests, for example, while others succeed at writing papers.

Also, people are not always equally prepared for standardized tests. For example, with the SAT not all schools approach this test in the same way. Some schools will focus a lot on SAT specific material, while other schools will only focus a little or not even at all on SAT material. This leaves unfair disadvantages to many students. For these reasons and many more, I am against standardized testing.