Standardized Testing

What's the Deal with Standardized Testing?

Standardized testing is a topic that students, parents, and educators have become extremely familiar with. Nearly every grade level utilizes some form of state or national standardized testing, and an SAT or ACT score is essential to a college application. Chris Mumford at WGU put together a fascinating graphic of statistics about standardized testing which estimates that students spend an average of 25 hours a year on standardized testing. Spending so much time on testing can be frustrating for students and teachers because it can be so incredibly draining to administer and take these tests. And since tests like the ACT or SAT cost money to take, they can create a harsh financial barrier for low-income students interested in applying for college. 

My Long and Arduous Testing History

A yellow wooden pencil

By my calculation, I have spent a total of 16 hours of my life on the ACT test alone, not including studying or practice tests. I took the test 5 times, once with the optional essay section, starting when I was in the seventh grade. I was a part of the Duke TIP program from Duke University that invited young "gifted" students to take the test in seventh grade. I then took the test again my sophomore year, once my junior year, once the summer before my senior year, and a final time as a senior. The most frustrating part was that I got the exact same composite score 3 out of those 5 times. I found it incredibly difficult to find support for increasing my score at school. I came from a low-income district that historically did not place much emphasis on testing, so my school had an average score goal, and if you scored above that goal, teachers were not interested in helping you improve your score for college. When I looked into taking the SAT test to see if I could achieve an improved score there, I found out that the nearest testing center that offered the SAT was a 2-hour drive from my hometown. This experience was quite disheartening because it often felt like my family and I were the only ones interested in seeing me succeed, with one notable exception of my high school principal. He made a real effort to encourage all students on these tests, and whenever I had an issue, I always felt comfortable going to him. I hope he continued to make improvements after I graduated.