In the world of education there is a trend today that I feel is breaking down the world of education. This trend is the implementation of standardized tests. Whether it is the Ohio Tenth Grade Proficiency exam, the ACT, SAT, or even the GRE, standardized tests are being utilized largely across the nation to evaluate a person's academic progress. Some do the job well and are utilized to their intended purpose, while others have largely become ineffective or over emphasized, at during secondary education.
This is not true of all tests. The ACT and SAT both are utilized extremely well. They are typically used by colleges to judge what level a potential student is at and give a general (and I stress general) projection of the students ability to complete a collegiate level degree. The GRE does a similar job with graduate schools and is much more content oriented (biology students take a biology GRE). These tests are not utilized as requirements or even as a defining factor. They are utilized as general indicators, and this is an acceptable use of the standardized test.
For the most part I have no problem with standardized tests being used in this capacity. It is at the high school level that I have the largest problem with standardized tests. Students in most high schools (all public and some private) here in Ohio are required by law to pass a standardized test in order to graduate and receive their degree. Each student is given three years to pass the exam as it is first administered during their tenth grade year. This situation is not optimal for a variety of reasons. First of all, from a student’s standpoint, this is an enormous task for some students, especially when you factor in every other requirement they must meet in order to graduate in most schools, this is an almost insurmountable task.
There is another side of the argument as well, what of the students who pass every part during their first attempt. These students are denied class time during subsequent tests due to the enormous amount of manpower required to administer these tests, as well as being forced to continue to take required courses that are designed to help students pass the proficiency exams. This limits the subject matter that these students are capable of learning and also to an extent limits the curiosity of the students. Overall the use of standardized tests in this way is ineffective, as well as impractical.
