Thesis Statement
Because standardized tests have a long history and significant goals in American education, schools and colleges should not reject this type of assessment but need to be improved within the COVID-19 context.
Audience
The implementation of standardized testing in the American education system has a long history. The first attempts to introduce this assessment method could be traced back to the 19th century when American educators aimed at evaluating student achievements regarding their social responsibilities. Such events as immigration, the introduction of new testing instruments, the emergence of military services, world wars, and government roles made contributions to understanding the need for standardized testing. Today, many people are involved in the acceptance and promotion of tests for IQ, admission, psychological state, and professional skills.
In the United States, the potential groups of readers of the offered argumentative essay about standardized testing could be students, parents, teachers, policymakers, and governments. First, students are able to learn the benefits and shortages of such tests and develop appropriate attitudes toward these tasks as a part of their education process. On the one hand, standardized tests promote equality, evaluate progress, and help identify the required areas of improvement.
On the other hand, tests may affect students’ confidence and abilities to judge and evaluate. Therefore, students as essay readers find out how to get prepared and predict complications with oral, written, or practical standardized tests. Parents and educators can find this essay interesting in terms of their assistance to students. Not much attention is paid to the role of families and teachers in completing standardized testing. Still, their contributions to student life should not be ignored, and this essay is a good chance to remind the importance of these relationships.
The ways how standardized tests are developed and proposed to students considerably depend on the quality of policymaking and governmental funding. During the last several centuries, this type of assessment has undergone specific changes, including new standards for subjects, the participation of academic associations, and the No Child Left Behind education reform. Policymakers and government representatives can use this essay as a strong argument in their discussion to either continue using standardized tests or consider improvements in the system that are related to COVID-19 challenges.
Biases
The analysis of the chosen topic may be characterized by a number of objective and subjective biases due to the current social changes, healthcare concerns, and political instability. For example, in their investigation, Richards and Wong conclude that students are not eager to take standardized tests because they cannot identify individual learning losses. Remote learning turns out to be an obligatory condition due to the required social isolation and the impossibility of leaving homes for educational purposes (Richards and Wong).
Although the Department of Education declared freedoms for teachers to have fun with students and choose the most effective ways of learning, official representatives constantly remind us about teaching with the state standards (Richards and Wong). Such biases never disappear, and each state aims at controlling the organization and quality of education. In addition, students’ statuses, geographical locations, and even technical backgrounds play a vital role in understanding and completing tasks and tests. It is hard to control and assess students’ skills equally as was presupposed by standardized testing. A digital connection has its benefits, but it also hides the truth about education and the further practical implementation of knowledge.
Work Cited
Richards, Erin, and Alia Wong. “Standardized Tests Are Back; They’ll Feel Different and Many Students Won’t Take Them.” USA Today. 2021. Web.