How+teachers,+Studnets+and+parents+feel+about+Standardized+Testing

Annotated Bibliography

1.) McDermott, Ann B (2008) Surviving Without the SAT. Chronicle of Higher Education, 00095982, 10/10/2008, Vol. 55, Issue 7. Retrieved November 14, 2010. []

The SAT's being among the most rigorous standardized test may no longer be a problem for high school students. In this opinion piece on the SAT's a mother and also a college admission counselor voices her opinion on the SAT's. Universities and colleges such as Holy Cross, Wake Forest University and Smith College have decided to make SAT's optional for their applicants. Along with this decision came great support from parents, guidance counselors and most importantly stressed out high school seniors. Since 2006, after Holy Cross had implemented their new SAT options they have seen huge beneficial factors to their university. Their students are more diverse, seem academically stronger and wider ranged in learning styles. Since SAT scores can be altered by so many factors, it really does not give a fair report on how smart or talented a particular student is. Universities and colleges let the SAT test takes away from the four years of rigorous and grueling classes that they were in to prepare for the next level.

Not only were teachers and guidance counselors huge supporters of the decision Holy Cross, Wake Forest University and Smith college made, but so weren't the parents and students. Senior High School students let a simple score on one test make or break their decisions to apply to certain colleges and universities after working hard for four years. The decision to make the SAT test optional has brought nothing but positive feedback and results to those college and universities.

2.) Wiggins, Grant (2010) Why We Should Stop Bashing State Test. Reading to Learn]. Educational Leadership v. 67 no. 6 (March 2010) p. 48-52. Retrieved November 17, 2010.      []

Standardized testing has many advantages and positive aspects to them. Both state and local assessments give parents, educators, students and state representatives how children are performing in the classroom. From the results of these test it is clear to see that the children across the board in math, writing, reading and comprehension are not scoring where they should be. The questions that are asked on the state assessments are on the easier side and should be answered correctly by the students taking them. Many of the students that were asked later about the tests do not seem worried about their scores.

Since the scores state assessments have been so poorly in the past few years many believe that tutoring sessions prior to taking the test will help or just getting rid of the test all together. There are many supports to just get rid of the test all together but unfortunately that is not an option. The tests supply educators with valuable information on how well or poorly the students are doing. Seeing that the students are doing poorly the next step is finding out why. In order to fix this problem and get the testing scores higher, it is clear that teachers need to change their teaching approaches and try to get the students to understand more clearly and fully.

3. Buck, Stuart. "Teachers Say the Most Interesting Things -- An Alternative View of Testing." //Phi Delta Kappan// 91.6 (2010): 50-54. //Academic Search Complete//. EBSCO. Retrieved November 20, 2010

http://0-web.ebscohost.com.helin.uri.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&hid=10&sid=b10c87d9-5f19-4f45-b596-9a760c2f8c65%40sessionmgr13

Since the act "No Child Left Behind" has been practiced teachers and school administrators have been under immense pressure to make sure their students were scoring well on the tests. A study that was done with 42 teachers in five different Arkansas schools showed the critics of standardized testing to be wrong. The teachers who had just finished an entire week of testing spent the first workshop discussing the stresses of having their students test for an entire week. After getting over the stressful aspect of testing the teachers came up with four ways the test provide positive feedback for them and school administrators, first test provide useful data, second testing and standardized can help provide a "road map" for the rest of the school year and next year, third test prep does not entirely take away the create aspect of teaching, fourth the test can lead to collaboration and lastly accountability can be useful.

These 42 teachers provided reason for the critics to perhaps change their minds. For many reasons parents, students and even some teachers feel that standardized testing causes unnecessary stress, is useless and takes a couple days to a whole week of school away. From seeing what these teachers had to say the standardized testing that students are required to take is in fact making public school education better and making it rise to the standards that we have placed.

4. Raywid, Mary Anne. "What to Do with Students Who Are Not Succeeding." //Phi Delta Kappan// 82.8 (2001). Retrieved November 22, 2010. http://0-web.ebscohost.com.helin.uri.edu/ehost/detail?vid=12&hid=10&sid=b10c87d9-5f19-4f45-b596-9a760c2f8c65%40sessionmgr13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=4288450

It is clear that not all students learn the same way. All students require different strategies and even different environments. With that said, some administrators and teachers are seeking alternate routes to show their students can achieve, if they are given the chance. In New York there were 40 alternative school directors that attempted different way to show that their students were where they were supposed to be academically. For instance on of the students came up with her own number system to count for her mathematics tests. The state commissioner over ride these alternative testing styles and insisited all students continue to take the required standardized test.

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