Editorial: It’s time to suspend standardized testing

We’ve all heard it before: “Is this going to be on the test?”   

If the answer is yes, then cram away. If no, then pack up and relax.

This type of apathy in the classroom is one check against standardized tests as the best way to educate students.

According to the Washington Post, in 2012, Robert Scott, then-Texas education commissioner, declared that high-stakes standardized tests have led to a “perversion” of quality education. Since then, a trend has gained momentum calling for the suspension of centralized, mandated testing. 

FairTest, an American organization addressing issues relating to fairness and accuracy, posted on its website on Oct. 12 supporting the anti-standardized testing movement. Basically, the movement’s goals are to cut excessive testing and establish an assessment system that better suits teachers and students, all while informing parents, communities and states of educational progress. According to the organization, some states have responded to the uprising by temporarily pausing some sanctions for teachers and schools. 

A trend of education decentralization must continue to ensure high quality education in our state’s and country’s classrooms. Teachers, rather than detached politicians and bureaucrats, are best suited to personalize teaching and student development.

Standardized tests restrict teachers’ freedom and discretion. When standardized test participation and/or performance is directly tied to funding, schools have little choice but to comply. This means that teachers must gear their curriculum towards test material, rather than what they deem most important.

It’s clear that standardized testing leads to a student decrease in intellectual curiosity. When the state or federal government places such importance on centrally mandated tests, then students cannot waste time actually, well, learning. Instead, teachers and students must focus on conforming to a bureaucratically compiled test. Since teachers and students must spend time preparing for the specific test, little room is left for discussion and discourse — activities that are instrumental to intellectual development. 

Our education system should not primarily teach students what to think but, instead, how to consider something critically. As Socrates famously said, “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.” Cramming random facts for a test that are mostly forgotten the next day doesn’t prepare students with skills that will help them in higher education or the work field. 

Rather, discussions, essays and presentations are the methods by which students can best learn more applicable skills that they could use to advocate for their position on an issue or even participate in an interview. Especially during the age of texting and social media, students must learn how to communicate adequately, which won’t be achieved by recognizing words or numbers on a multiple choice exam. Instead, sharing ideas with one’s peers and instructors will help them mature into young adulthood.

For this to happen, the state and national government must adopt a moratorium on standardized testing, so students are afforded a holistic, effective and intellectually stimulating education.