Many Paths: Students are worth more than results of standardized tests

With SAT and ACT test scores being recently released, it is essential to discuss the tyranny of standardized tests.

Since third grade, all the way up to your senior year in high school, students are expected to participate in three, or more hours of testing each year. These have trained students that intellect is found within your test scores. However, these tests have been shown to be inconclusive, and an incomplete judgment of one’s complete schooling.

In recent years, most colleges have not been requiring standardized testing scores as a part of their application process. This began when COVID-19 shut down schools and students were unable to complete the testing needed for their applications.

However, from the pandemic, colleges have learned that students should not be judged on their scoring and have created a system in which students are eligible to not showcase their test scores on their application and still get accepted into their dream schools. This is due to the fact that standardized testing focuses on math and English.

While these subjects are essential for most fields outside of school, it does not factor in students who are exceedingly good at other subjects, such as chemistry and biology, or agriculture and business.

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Not only do standardized tests limit the subjects on the test, but many students are simply not adequate test takers.

Someone who is top of their class may perform worse than they may be predicted to do due to testing anxiety. The environment is set-up in a professional way that most kids are not use to, as well as the inability to concentrate in under stressful environments.

Schools, whether they wish to or not, put a high level of stress on students before they complete their test.

While these tests are a reflection on the education students are receiving, there is an uneasy feeling students exert when they must perform on the spot.

This is where most testing anxiety stems from; the need to receive a perfect score. However, even though colleges have stopped requiring scores, students still feel incomplete when they see the test score come back with a lower-than-expected grade.

These tests typically contain math and English based multiple-choice answers, then some levels also must complete free response answers.

However, in Illinois, in the fifth, eighth, and eleventh grade students are required to take the Illinois Science Assessment, focusing on general science and ecology. This can increase the testing time for students, but this also enables students to have a chance for testing well in a subject they may be more inclined to do well in.

One solution Illinois will implement is in the 2024-25 school year, the ACT will be taking the place of the SAT as the systematic required test for all students in order to graduate. This test has more of a science base, along with math and English.

Testing should be completed including all important, and required fields that a student must learn in high school. For example, students are required to take English and math, but they are also required to take finance, history, biology, and other electives. These should be worked into the testing at the end of a student’s high school career.

While testing can be an efficient model for students to be compared at a base level, the testing scores should not be the deciding factor in determining a student’s future success.

These tests have many faulty points and are not a complete comprehensive review of the student’s complete schooling.

McKenna Clark is a junior at Williamsfield High School.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Many Paths: Students are worth more than results of standardized tests