Rachael Buchanan

English 1111

04/21/2019

Standardized Testing Effective or Not Effective

You are crammed in a room, that is most likely to hot or cold. You’re preparing to take a

Standardized Test that will last five hours, which you have been worried about for

months and possibly even for years. You know that this may even play a part in what

college you can get into.

The First Standardized Test appeared in America during the World War I as a means of

placing U.S. Army recruits into military roles that suited their skills. Later the SAT

(Scholastic’s Aptitude Test) was actually developed for low income people to gain notice

by Ivy League colleges as far back as the 1930’s. As the years went by, standardized

testing became the norm, rather than the exception. It was created to judge the overall

intelligence of students applying for college. The SAT included reading, writing and

math. The ACT (American College Test) was created in 1959 with the similar goal. The

ACT included reading, writing, math and science.

The SAT and ACT tests simply don’t cover all the subjects studied in school and leave

out a multitude of electives that students could be strong in including: business, art,

theology, engineering, and music. They elevated the English, mathematics and science

far above the level that has been studied in school, since most students take it the end of

their junior year or beginning of their senior year. The tests put a high level of stress on

the student.
The Standardized Testing does not find out how well you can think through problems, or

how you express your opinions or create a presentation. The goal is to see what you can

memorize. The more you know the smarter the colleges will perceive you to be.

The truth is that a higher education is important in most career fields. By forgoing an

education because of low SAT or ACT score, there are many people who aren’t able to

take advantage of job opportunities that would be great for them and the company they

are working for. Having a college degree is really important, but having low test scores

are interfering with many high school student’s ability to create a life that they want.

Standardized Testing isn’t the way to gain entrance to college there is a lot of ways to

study to get the highest score possible, but perhaps a better question is whether or not

these tests are actually effective means of letting colleges and universities know whether

a student is a good choice for that institution or not.

A former dean of Bates College, William Hiss, conducted a study of the graduation rates

of students who submitted their test results when compared to those who didn’t. His

findings indicate that there is very little difference between the two groups. There was

actually a graduation rate difference of less than 1%. Hiss says, “That by eliminating the

testing portion of the college entrance process, students from all walks of life have a

chance of obtaining a college education.”

Many high school students don’t realize that many colleges across the United States are

test optional. Hiss says that a more important number to consider is the GPA. Grade point

average does a much better job of letting colleges and universities see a student’s

dedication, intelligence level, self-discipline and educational curiosity than do scores on

one test.
Getting a high score on the SAT and ACT doesn’t necessarily indicate the potential for

college success. Students with good grades and mediocre test scores are just as able to do

well in college as those who score high on these tests. In my opinion, I believe the overall

student’s ability and dedication should be considered as an entrance to college. I believe

that many colleges are moving towards test optional giving more students the opportunity

to go to college. I believe that government officials are working toward making a college

degree a more attainable goal.

In short, I believe test score are not the only predictor of whether a student could be

successful in college. As more colleges recognize this, students have a chance to go after

their dream without letting test scores get in their way.

 References

Hudlow, Andy. (January 14, 2014). Standardized testing is not an accurate measure of

intelligence. Retrieved from

https://bsmknighterrant.org/.../standardized-testing-is-not-an-accurate-measure-of-intel...

Are Tests like Sat and Act Effective? Retrieved from

https://www.scholaradvisor.com/essay-examples-for-college/are-tests-sat-act-effective/