MAYRA ORDONEZ

My name is Mayra Ordonez and I’m a junior communications major with a communication studies focus. I am against standardized testing because I don’t think the standardization of tests is a good way to measure students’ knowledge in subject matters.

People have different learning styles, and therefore have different ways of understanding and applying those concepts to real life experiences. A standardized test can be great for some people, but could be the end for another person. Taking standardized tests versus writing essays are some of the most common ways students get graded on. Some of the most well known tests –SATs- are some of the hardest exams any American student will have to take eventually. However the SATs are all about learning how to take them –

Avery Thompson

I am Avery Thompson, a sophomore student-athlete here at the University of Maryland. I am double majoring in Economics and Communications, looking to become experienced in stock trading.

On the issue of standardized testing, I do not support it. Every person, from a very young age is different; everyone has a certain skill set or has something they are good over others, such as educational subjects, technical skills, or some type of area they excel in. When children go through school and are placed in certain categories based off of a standardized test, that has been created from other people in which they believe a person should know based on where they are at in a specific stage of schooling, does not accurately express how people are and where they should be. There is at least one subject that a student does not excel as much as he/she does in another and some students know what they want to do early. So I do not believe standardized testing should be given to all students based on what stage they are in school.

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.

Caterina Marzella

My name is Caterina Marzella and I am a Communications and Government double major graduating in May from University of Maryland. I have a passion for working with children and I have spent the past three years as a Student Coordinator for the Lakeland STARs tutoring program.My interest in standardized testing comes from working with the children who participate in the STARs program. It is hard to watch all of their hard work and growth only be measured by a test. A student is so much more than a number and standardized tests ignore everything that makes a child unique. Furthermore, these tests often exacerbate the systematic problems in America’s education program. I’m looking forward not only to informing others about the pitfalls of standardized testing, but generating some thoughtful and stimulating debates about what is best for students in America.

Sarai Colon

My name is Sarai Colon; I’m a Communications major at the University Maryland and I’m against standardized testing.

A bulk of my time in school was focused on learning what material would be on the test that would determine whether or not we were smart enough to move up. There was a lot of pressure to do well; by the time I got to high school, the norm for students was pressure. I saw students with the highest grades crying over test scores. The norm was wearing expressions of defeat and going without sleep for days. No one believed school should be fun, it call came down to the tests that supposedly determined our worth.

Everyone talked about getting high scores on the HSAs, and the crown jewel, the SATs. If you got a low score people would give you sympathetic looks because the chances of getting into a good college or getting money to go there, would drop significantly. It didn’t matter if you weren’t a good  test taker or a brilliant writer or a creative thinker; standardized testing was all about knowing how to take the test.

It’s time we stop determining a child’s future with a test and start giving them opportunities to shine, and encouraging their potential. Kids need to know they’re not stupid and hopeless if they don’t do well on a test. We have to lift our students up not bring them down.

Jourdyn Alli

My name is Jourdyn Alli and I am a junior communication major with a public relations focus. I am adamant about eliminating standardized testing because I have been exposed to them over the years. As a third grader, I moved from California to North Carolina during the middle of the school year. California schools used to begin later than schools on the East Coast, so I was a month or two behind the students in North Carolina. The bad part about it was that I was forced to take a standardized test at the end of the month, although I was months behind everyone else.

The test assessed students and determined whether they would progress to the next grade. With no help from my teachers, my grandmother stayed with my family for a month to tutor me outside of school in preparation for the exam. Thankfully, I passed the exam and moved to Maryland to complete the rest of my grade school education. As a high school junior, I was in the top 2 percent of my class, but didn’t do well on the SATs. Although it didn’t prevent me from getting into my top schools, it did affect my scholarships to pay for college. I believe students who work hard during the school year shouldn’t be punished for not doing well on one exam that sometimes doesn’t cover what was taught in the classroom.