abhijithajikumar Some feel that students should not take standardized tests in school. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Standard tests are often considered as an effective way of evaluating students for their academic merit. Many suggest that students should refrain from such examinations and perceive them as irrelevant. Despite some legitimate drawbacks of standardized tests, I contend that only uniform assessments could ensure tangible gains for both students and schools.
Critics of standardized examinations point to the distinct capabilities of the students. Rather than comparing the performance of one student with another, non-standard exams only test their grasp on the subject and do not weigh them in any way. Students, in future, could be artists, athletes or bureaucrats and each of these demands a unique skill set. It is hence absurd to access and judge them on some marks on a paper. For instance, Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientists of all time was expelled from school due to his poor academics and those results proved futile to his career.
Nonetheless, standardized tests evaluate students with the same questions in a standard time. The test results of the students could be benchmarked with those of top performers to reveal and work on their weak subject areas. Not only this would help students to perform better but also aid schools to compare themselves with other premier institutes. This is particularly given that schools in many countries are ranked for their teaching standards and academic excellence with respect to the results of their students in standardized competitive examinations that are conducted nationally.
In conclusion, it is a common perception among many that normalized tests are outdated. Although there are some marginal drawbacks for such exams, I argue that such tests are pivotal for the performance enhancements of both the students and the schools.
