by Sidney Stutzman

Standardized testing can disturb sleep patterns, tiredness, worry, irregular eating habits, increased infections, and inability to concentrate (Edelstein).  Standardized testing has a negative effect  due to the high expense of the test, cheating on the test, and unneeded stress on students.

The High expense of the test involves developing the test sending the test to the schools, and people checking the test.  When citizens of the United States say that our country is in major debt they can thank standardized testing for part of that.  Overall the United States is spending about 1.7 billion dollars on standardized  testing.  If you do the math the amount per student is about 65 dollars (UjiFusa).  It might not seem like that much per student but with the amount of children in the United States that sure is a lot added up.   We also need someone to develop the test that the students will be taking.  When students work hard to pass the test we need people to check the tests.  This doesn’t even include the 13.1 billion dollars that schools spend preparing, tutoring , and counseling the students for the test (Strauss).  

Cheating on standardized test is not a warning sign is for students because teachers cheat too.  In Atlanta 11 teachers and administration were caught cheating on the test and they had to serve up to 20 years in prison. It also included another small charge that was given from false statements and theft (Bidwell).  “A 2006 study showed that 60 percent of high school students admitted that they had cheated on  classroom test at least once, and 35 percent said that they had done so more than once.” It is hard to know whether students are learning when they cheat because the score will not reflect students’ knowledge and abilities (Dolezalek 70-71).  Students might also cheat because in some schools like in Louisiana and Georgia students must pass the test to move to the next grade (Dolezalek).

Students have a lot of unneeded stress that includes pressure from teachers and moving to the next grade.   At certain times of the year classrooms get harder and more complex to teach test-taking strategies (The negative).  How well the students do on the test will determine how much funding the school will receive (Dolezalek 18).  With the schools money on the line many of the administration to that school will push the students to be the best causing a lot of stress on the students.  In Minnesota schools students need to pass the test to graduate.   Low scores prevent students from moving to the next grade (Dolezalek 22).  High scores continue federal and local funding and give administration bonus pay (Is The Use).  Still with the administration getting a bonus for more money the teachers will put even more pressure on the students it will stress them out to the point that the student might not do well.

Standardized testing is estimated to be “a multi-billion-dollar industry.”  The Largest Test publishers are the  NCS Pearson, CTB\McGraw-Hill, Riverside publishing, and Educational Testing Services (ETS) (Is the Use).  Some negative parts about the test are that the teachers are starting to teach to the test. With teachers teaching to the test the government won't always know how much the student is learning in the classroom they will just know what suppose to is on the test.  Standardized testing doesn’t always measure students learning as intended (The negative).  Since tests are the same students don’t learn the same which does not accurately reflect students.  (The negative).  Some Teachers, parents, and school officials believe that the test were causing harm to students (Dolezalek 89).  Standardized testing has a negative effect due to the high expense of the test, cheating on the test, and unneeded stress on students.  Just because tests are the same that doesn't mean all students are the same.