Every year standardized tests are a huge part of high school students’ lives. We spend so much time prepping for them, stressing over them, and trying to forget about them as soon as they’re over. I believe that these tests don’t show what we are capable of as students.
These tests are supposed to measure our knowledge, but they mostly test how well we can memorize facts and take multiple-choice questions. They don’t show how we think critically, or how hard we work in class. These are skills that matter in the real world, the ones that help us succeed in college and our future careers. Standardized tests don’t capture who we are as students and our knowledge.
Let’s think about it, these tests put so much pressure on a single day, a single score. But school shouldn’t be like that. I understand that school can be stressful and that we need to learn challenging things but at the end of the day we shouldn’t be worrying about a test score. We all have good days and bad days. Maybe you’re feeling ill, or maybe you didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Does this mean that you’re automatically less smart? Of course not, but standardized tests make it seem that way to teachers and the state.
What about the subjects that aren’t tested? Where’s the test for leadership, communication skills, and the effort we put into our schoolwork? These are qualities that make us human, the things that set us apart. But they are completely ignored by standardized tests.
Let’s not forget about test anxiety. As someone who gets really anxious about tests, I feel that no matter how much I study and prepare, I get nervous, my mind goes blank, and I can’t work to my full ability. Many students have the same feelings as me and I don’t think it’s right to judge someone’s abilities based on how well we handle stress.
I think teachers should not rely on these tests to track what we know and don’t know. We should focus on other ways to evaluate students. Things like class projects and presentations can give a better sense of what we have learned and how we can apply that knowledge. It’s time to rethink the way we can measure success in school and recognize that there is more to us than a test score.
