Undergraduate / "standardized tests don't measure the quality" - UT, issue of importance [4]

Choose an issue of importance to you-the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope-and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation.

The tape recorder droned on. Nobody in that classroom would have been able to explain that story to you due to the fact that we were all barely conscious and concentrating very hard on utilizing our remaining energy to keep it so. Upon starting the novel our teacher had very bluntly expressed her distaste for it. She conveyed her sympathy for making us read it; however, it was part of the lesson plan and had to be covered for TAKS reinforcement. After each chapter, we would get a packet full of multiple choice questions we'd have to answer. Every day, we would flip through the novel searching for word-for-word answers and bubble it in as a form of TAKS preparation. Answering questions that hardly require you to comprehend the material- this defines the low standard testing and education many students across the U.S. are receiving.

"An act to close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that that no child is left behind." A very honorable goal set forth by President George W. Bush and Congress, yet, nonetheless, drastically flawed and putting debilitating strains on education. This act required each state to produce an assessment of basic skills to receive the benefits of federal funding, however, there was no national standard set; standards vary from state to state. This leaves way for standards to be manipulated. Standards can be lowered which translates to easier tests that increase success rate and thus federal funding.

Putting aside the manipulated cash flow, it is the decreasing value of education I find more troublesome. The act stresses heavily on success in reading, math, and writing, which provides for a very simplified structure for education. It is then further simplified by teachers who must narrow down concepts within each subject to maximize their students' test performance. The phrase "teaching to the test" has been adapted to describe the style of teaching that had taken over American public schools. To ensure the success of their students on the standardized tests has become a teacher's main priority, limiting teachers from delivering the wide-range educational experience they wish to guarantee. Creativity, deeper thinking, and real world application are areas that are rarely touched upon and often most vital.

A well-rounded education needs to be re-emphasized before electives, languages, and the arts become a thing of the past. Classes that allowed for creative outlet, character building, and skill building are being deemed unimportant and are tossed aside. "Since 2007, 71% of schools have reduced instruction in such subjects to give more time to English and Math." They are sacrificing crucial classes, classes that students find the most joy in and serve as a break from the constant drilling that school has become. Students are being deprived of the classes that provide them with the means to develop socially and intellectually.

The goal of education should be to prepare students for secondary education and to trouble shoot obstacles that should approach them in the future, not to teach them to bubble answers on a basic knowledge test. Though standardized tests act as a scale on which improvement can be measured, what use is that if there is nothing to measure the quality? I have undergone 9 years of mindless drilling. I have bubbled in that familiar answer sheet nine times. I have awaited the weighted results of that dreaded test nine times. One single test at the end of the year that holds the fate of a student's grade promotion or possibly the only thing standing in the way of a senior's diploma, standardized tests like these only provide for stress and a weak demand for education.

*I have probably drafted about 5 different essays for this topic; they were all duds. I've completed this one though i'm still very unsure of it. I'd appreciate any feedback whether it be good or bad... just need someone to tell me if i'm headed in the right direction or should just ditch this one too. Please and thank you!