Standardized Tests: Should You Opt Out?

Download free podcast by John C. Stevens on Standardized Tests: Should You Opt Out? optoutStandardized tests have been the law of the land in most states for decades. These lengthy, mostly multiple-choice exams are designed to level the playing field so that teachers and students can be pretty evaluated each year. What kind of test are we talking about? Forty-three of the fifty states in the U.S. use a Common Core curriculum, administering exams such as the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers), the SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium), and others. Even the states that do not practice common core have rigorous tests of their own. Many parents and teachers are concerned that the PARCC and other state-mandated tests corrupt the public education system. In recent years, the relentless emphasis on scores has led many parents to “opt-out” or remove their children from testing. There’s also a rise in the number of homeschooled or privately educated students as a way of opting out of Common Core altogether. If you’re a parent, boycotting Common Core or standardized testing is certainly your right. But before you decide on your child, here’s some helpful information from both sides of the argument.

Reasons you SHOULD opt out:

1. Less pressure for your child. Some students are advanced academically; however, they don’t test well. Test anxiety is an unfortunate reality for many kids, so they may not show that on test day regardless of what they learned. In addition, younger children are especially vulnerable to test-related strain. Taking the emphasis away from scores would give your kids a chance to relax and enjoy learning again.

2. The tests don’t tell the whole story. Children have a wide variety of talents and abilities, but very few are represented on the test. In the real world, problem-solving skills, creativity, honesty, determination, and other qualities will be more valuable than the ability to pick the correct answer on a multiple-choice exam. Only hands-on learning activities and the opportunity to interact with others will teach those kinds of skills.

3. Testing does not equal learning. Suppose the goal of these exams is to raise the bar for education. In that case, policymakers might want to consider this: After the “No Child Left Behind (NCLB)” was included in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2002, the U.S. slipped from 18th in the world in math to 31st place in 2009, with a similar drop in science and no change in reading.* Despite how much the test is emphasized, the common core does not require states to test students at all. So if it isn’t required, why are we making tests the focus of our education system?

4. If enough students opt out, lawmakers will take notice. The amount of time and effort it takes for teachers and students to prepare for tests is unbelievable. Most state governments spend over a billion dollars each year on materials and training. Just think of the opportunities schools could provide if they had more of their time and money back. If enough parents opt-out, it sends a message to the government that our children deserve better.

Reasons NOT to opt out:

1. You’ll be able to see your child’s progress. The goal of exams, such as the PARCC, is to give teachers, administrators, and parents a snapshot of how kids grow as they move through their school years. Without testing, you won’t receive those potentially beneficial results. (Wouldn’t you want to know if your child was passing math at school while failing math on a statewide test?)

2. Schools depend on the data. School results will be skewed without the test scores of all of its students. (And in states like New York, where whole classrooms are opting out, the statistics are highly inaccurate.) In addition to the valuable data that testing provides, many states now base teacher pay on how students perform tests. So, truthfully, your school and its teachers may suffer hefty consequences if you choose to opt out.

3. Standardized testing holds schools accountable. All parents, teachers, and legislators agree that we want the best education possible for our students. One of the primary reasons for testing is to assess the effectiveness and accuracy of the curriculum schools are teaching. Perhaps the curriculum is excellent, but the students still aren’t getting it. Or maybe teachers aren’t using the instructional materials that they should. A standardized test is a relatively quick, reasonably reliable way to highlight any problem areas. Then, we can fix weak areas of learning instead of continuing year after year.

4. Your child could lose valuable experience. Believe it or not, standardized tests do impact your child’s college prospects. College entrance exams, like the ACT and the SAT, are still the standard for most universities in the United States. Studies have shown that students who are accustomed to standardized tests perform better on future exams. You might consider today’s Common Core exam as practice for college-bound students.

* Committee on Incentives and Test-Based Accountability in Public Education at the National Research Council, Incentives and Test-Based Accountability in Education, (1.3MB), www.nap.edu, 2011

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Heather A. Turley

Heather A. Turley is a former fine arts educator in the state of Texas with ten years of teaching experience. She holds an MFA in creative writing for media from Full Sail University and a BFA in theatre arts from Abilene Christian University. Heather has and produced several children’s plays, and has written fine arts and physical education curriculum for children ages 2 – 18.