Can we improve standardized tests?

​Over the course of the semester, there are a few topics that keep coming back to be the main focus of our class. One of the main topics is standardized testing. As a class, I would say we can concur that standardized testing does not necessarily do anything to improve education nor do the results reflect a student’s improvement or a teacher’s ability to teach. I think it is reasonable to say that somewhere along the line, there has to be some kind of testing to determine a student’s growth and ability in the basic subject areas. We have already discussed many times about how the testing world has become extremely large, and how it is a huge market in the United States. Are we really ever going to be able to argue with our government and ask them to get rid of standardized tests? Standardized testing has become a market for the United States, so I find it pretty safe to say that hardly anyone is ever going to have a say in whether or not standardized tests should be done away with. I think it may even be illogical to say that there could be another method of testing student’s growth. Our government is set on giving these standardized tests as a way of improving the education system, and as much as many of us may disagree with it, we are not going to have a choice. However, is there a way these standardized tests can be improved? Is there a way that we, as future educators, can work to help improve our student’s tests scores?

          This article (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/guest-bloggers/reduce-standardized-testing-to.html) was written by the executive director of The National Center for Fair and Open Testing, and she provides some of her opinions in the ways that standardized tests could be improved. One way she says that testing could be improved is by cutting back on how often tests are administered to once at each school level, such as once in elementary, middle, and high school. It is interesting to see how these tests may actually provide helpful information on a student’s growth and a schools performance if the tests were not given as often as they are. She also says that the tests scores should be, “only a small part of the equation for making decisions about schools.” She says this will prevent teachers from having to teach to the test, and also believes that standardized testing should only be a complement to other reviews the schools should have on students and teachers. This article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/13/test-scores-can-improve-w_n_1343020.html provides insight from a teacher who uses a process called “my favorite no.” Psychologists in this article did research proving that as teachers, we should be able to relate to our students and tell them that, “learning is difficult and failure is common, but hard work will help.” Research shows that expressing this to students has vastly improved their test scores. So we as educators can work in our classrooms to help improve this test taking phenomenon.  

            I am by no means arguing that standardized testing is the right way to test students, but if standardized testing is never going away, shouldn’t we try to find ways to improve it?