Standardized testing has become and ever important tool in measuring scholastic ability from seniors down to third grade students. Because of the dire need to improve test scores and student performance, more and more emphasis has been placed on standardized testing. As well as the stress on excelling on the tests, my high school's administration has also strongly suggested that time is taken in each class period to teach what is most likely to appear on the tests. Time is now taken out of classroom to "teach to the test." This new approach to improving test performance has affected all but 1 of my academic courses this year and taken time away from curriculum to account for the time needed to "teach to the test." .
As I have progressed through high school, standardized testing has become much more influential in the direction that our school curriculum has taken. The Advanced Placement courses I am taking this year, which are obviously designed as a guide to excelling on the AP tests, are rather tedious and lack time to meet the needs of the individual students. The emphasis placed on the importance of doing well on standardized test has meant a loss of focus on what should be important in education. The influence is now focused on return of the academic dollar for above average performance on tests. Furthermore, curriculum is compromised not only in order to create time to "teach to the test," but also to teach students how to take standardized tests. The latter has very little substantial academic value. Today, schools must negotiate time and curriculum to meet the demands of standardized testing. "Teaching to the test," wastes the time of the students and the teachers; however, it is somewhat necessary to improve performance on standardized tests.
The problem that lies in "teaching to the test," is not only the failure to focus on the individual needs of the students, but also the fact that it has become an essential requirement in meeting the demands of standardized testing.
