Orine Dadon
Paper 2
WR 100
11 April 2017
The PSAT, SAT, ACT managed to receive the stigma of the “gold standard of
excellence” in the United States. These standardized tests encompass subjects like critical
reading, mathematics, writing, and science by incorporating questions that range from easy,
medium, and hard. Over the years these standardized tests’ value and credibility have risen into
question. Some concluded that a simple test score could by no means assess the capability of a
student, nonetheless, his or her intellect. As a matter of fact, many have concluded that it
evaluates nothing but the social class the student belongs to. Mike Rose strongly exemplifies this
in his book Why School? along with the other numerous imperfections that lay beneath the
school system in the United States. Although the SAT and ACT have managed to resemble one
of the most vital factors in college admissions, they are not bettering the school system in
anyway shape or form. How can one test assess every single student who belongs to an entirely
distinct background equally? Even if it were possible for it to create an equal chance for each and
every student, the system would ultimately result in uniformity which can be presumed to be the
downfall of any generation. The detrimental factors of standardized testing encompass
“accountability over all else” which allows citizens to overlook crucial characteristics of the
students based solely on numbers and rankings. In addition, these esteemed standardized tests’
magnitude hinders any or none revisions to the educational testing system. In addition to Mike
Rose, many authors/parents/thinkers express their opinion regarding the absurd reliance on
standardized testing to determine the growth, credibility, and success of a school or more
importantly the success of a student.
An outrageous amount of money and time is poured into the preparation for standardized
testing, yet centralizing this exam calls for a sense of corrupt and dishonorable behavior. For
instance, Mike Rose questions the test’s credibility when he says “there are, in fact, a host of
procedural and technical problems in developing, administering, scoring, and interpreting such
tests. (And there are also concerns about how schools can manipulate them, and, sadly we are
finding out, simply cheat on them.” (Rose 44) The continuous phenomenon of centralizing test
scores and preparing for them cause a significant sense of corruptness in the schooling system.
Lauren McKenna supports this in her article “Suburbia and Its Common Core Conspiracy
Theories” which highlights the multiple flaws of standardized testing. She states, “Ultimately,
