Is standardized testing doing more harm than good? That is the question that has been the topic of debate all throughout the United States.

Many current students, or former students, can agree that testing weeks are some of the most stressful weeks of the school year. A study done by Harvard University shows that 83% of teens/students reported school as one of their biggest stressors. Not only that, but the added pressure of what standardized testing determines. For example, in the Pleasant Valley school district standardized testing plays a very large factor in deciding what honors classes a student can take, and whether or not the student has shown growth since the last assessment.

Furthermore, the school curriculum is structured around standardized testing. This means that students are “taught to test” (the teacher spends more time on test preparation instead of other projects). In a survey done by the Northwest Evaluation Association, it was found that 70% of teachers felt that the extreme focus of the high stakes of testing takes too much time away from learning. To add on to this, a third grade teacher was quoted saying, “The prepping for tests takes a lot of time. Instead of possibly doing projects or more hands-on learning, we really focused on the testing format and preparing our students to be comfortable taking the test. The prepping starts at the beginning of the year and ends in April''.

In conclusion, it is clear that school boards should ask themselves whether standardized testing is a good measurement of knowledge.