Frank+F.

Frank Fallon

“Standardized Testing isn’t for Everyone”

In todays education system, students are now required to be evaluated in the form of standardized tests. Test like the Standardized Achievement Test known as the SAT, ACT and the PSAT, require students to study certain curriculum. Many potential futures ride on the scores of these tests. These scores are important factors in deciding who gets into what college. This system is unfair and does not provide the opportunity for people who do not test well to gin admissions to and succeed at higher levels of education. There are numerous ways in which people learn. People who do not test well and can not study the material on those tests are at a disadvantage in this system of evaluating ones potential to succeed in college. If these people do not get into college, their chances of getting a job and starting a career in their chosen field are a lot less likely than those who do go to college. This is an unbreakable cycle unless we develop a new evaluation system which is a better measure of ones abilities and a better measure of ones likelihood of succeeding in a particular college. There are numerous cases in which book smart people and great test takers have contributed very little to society or failed to graduate from college. On the other hand, there have been cases where horrible test takers have gone on to make the world a better place and contributed greatly to society. A few of these people are Albert Einstein and Charles Schwab, who were both dyslexic, and did not learn by conventional means nor test well on conventional testing methods. Our school system today does not cater to every learning style. Many people learn by using their hands and thats how they test. Some people are better at drawing and using visual representatives to help them understand subjects. There are also people who learn by listening to lectures and through sound. Schools need to start learning to adapt to these learning styles and also adapt test taking styles. Hopefully in the future the College Board will adapt from standardize to more adaptive test taking styles.

Mr. Barich, I do not know how to record my piece?