The Online Newspaper of Lakewood High School

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    Standardized Testing

    Standardized+Testing

    As spring begins, the end of the school year is in sight! Spring is also the beginning of state-wide testing, through the AIR tests. Lakewood High School’s days of testing are the mornings of April 9th, 10th, 24th, 24th, and 26th. Not every student at the high school has to test every year (and they can sleep in on mornings where they do not) but most have to take at least a few at some point in order to earn enough points to graduate. Standardized tests are agreed by both students and teachers alike to be a hassle, but is it a necessary one?

    The reason behind standardized testing is that the government wants to know if the schools are implementing school in a way that is working–in a way that makes students learn. Standardizing is a quantifiable measure of a child’s knowledge, and can be used to evaluate the system as a whole–in theory, anyways.

    But one issue is that not all students can show their full potential during a test. Some children have trouble focusing for long periods of time, or cannot concentrate when they feel a lot is riding on their score. And since these tests are now a graduation requirement, this is very stressful situation for students who know they aren’t the best at taking tests.

    Another bigger issue is that these tests take up a lot of time. Students may get to come in late, but teachers have to alter their entire curriculum around the time that is being taken away, and even more time is needed when things do not go according to plan (as often happens when technology is involved). It seems counterintuitive to take away valuable school time in order to prove that school is working.

    Perhaps the issue lies in the competitive nature of the system. Learning is not always something that can be proved with a number, and it is not worth the stress and time it takes to do so. As Lakewood High school student Rachel Owen says,“Standardized testing was one of the worst parts of school for me, and I hope that one day we can get rid of them.”

     

     

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