Funding
There are differences in how schools are funded, and consequently, how well they prepare students for standardized testing. As Thompson with “The Classroom” notes, schools are forced to give standardized tests that measure the achievement of students, or else they will lose funding (Thompson, 2018). This does not typically include the SAT, which is another monstrous issue in and of itself, but instead includes state-mandated tests like CASP for California. If a school fails to meet a certain level of progress, they could lose funding, which further disadvantages students at those schools. Many of the schools are losing funding due to low test scores or are already underfunded and are largely in low-income and majority minority communities. Part of this is due to policies like No Child Left Behind, which created standards and minimum scores that schools have to meet in order to receive government funding. As funding is taken away due to lack of achievement, these students are hurt more than their peers. So students now have to worry about passing these state-mandated tests to continue to get an education, while also having to worry about the SAT or ACT for their future. Somehow, these children have been made responsible for both their quality of education in the present, and their opportunities in the future.
Much of this funding issue comes from the overcrowding of public schools, with the concern for testing standards now leading to segregation amongst public schools and alternative options. As standardized testing becomes a more integral part of our education system, charter and private schools are becoming more popular due to their advertisement of high test scores. This increases the movement away from public schools toward charter or private alternatives, leaving behind those who cannot afford tuition or are not in an area with this option. Knoester et al. comment in “Standardized Testing and School Segregation: Like Tinder for Fire?” that this mentality around test scores creates segregation in the school system (Knoester et.al, 2017). As more affluent families move away from public schools, lower income students are left with less resources. Additionally, white communities have a higher access to non-public options, meaning that marginalized groups are even more disadvantaged by the movement away from public education, as charter and private schools take resources and teachers with them (Knoester et. al, 2017).
