Stress for Tests
By Penelope Mascia and Fiona Florsheim 
Should kids take standardized tests? We’ve been thinking about this question for a long time. Standardized testing stresses kids out, but it is still important.
Should kids take standardized tests? We’ve been thinking about this question for a long time. Standardized testing stresses kids out, but it is still important.
Not many people enjoy it. Maybe no one enjoys it. I’m not sure. But I do know that standardized tests stress a lot of people out. Some people study a lot, while other people don’t study at all. For example, last year I got stressed out and focused on the subjects that I typically didn't do well in, so I don't get as good of a grade on the subjects that I was usually better with.
So we wanted to highlight some pros about standardized testing:
- It helps kids practice studying
- It prepares us for other tests and could make those tests feel like their really easy compared to the state tests
- It lets the state see where you are in terms of skills
In my opinion, the people who make the tests should make the tests shorter and not as important. They should make them last only one day each and they should make them more fun; kids should enjoy the tests as much as possible. They have to enjoy the tests to have the motivation to get a good grade. Sometimes tests are stressful and if they are shorter and more enjoyable, kids may be less stressed for these tests, and they don’t need to waste all their time worrying.
We have looked at the pros, but let’s take a look at some of the cons of standardized testing. One thing for sure is standardized testing IS STRESSFUL! Some people stress and don’t do their best. This can be an issue because the fourth-grade state tests get you into middle school! If you stress on these tests and get a bad score, it will affect your education later on. According to The New York Times, “Children starting in the third grade may spend more than 10 hours a year taking state tests — and weeks preparing for them.” This is really bad for nine-year-old kids. They shouldn’t be studying so much. “The majority said they wanted them playing outside”, a Quartz article says. Parents don’t want kids to be all stressed or spend all their time studying. There were only a few votes for Academic/Educational (including screens). That means only a few parents want their kids to study all the time. Parents don’t feel their kids should always be studying, they should go outside. And kids don’t have time to go outside if they're always studying.
Please observe this graph below from Quartz:
Parents should have a say in what their kids are doing. Not school, if tests are taking over kids' lives that's all they’re going to become. They need to experience other things.
Now take a look at Laura Cruz who helped her school protest the PARCC Common Core exams. According to Washington Post, Mayfield High School junior Laura Cruz held up a sign to protest PARCC Common Core exams during a student-organized walkout in 2015. “I am more than a test score” as Laura Cruz states. This shows that people don’t like standardized testing. It shows that they will protest for what they believe.
We have looked at the pros, but let’s take a look at some of the cons of standardized testing. One thing for sure is standardized testing IS STRESSFUL! Some people stress and don’t do their best. This can be an issue because the fourth-grade state tests get you into middle school! If you stress on these tests and get a bad score, it will affect your education later on. According to The New York Times, “Children starting in the third grade may spend more than 10 hours a year taking state tests — and weeks preparing for them.” This is really bad for nine-year-old kids. They shouldn’t be studying so much. “The majority said they wanted them playing outside”, a Quartz article says. Parents don’t want kids to be all stressed or spend all their time studying. There were only a few votes for Academic/Educational (including screens). That means only a few parents want their kids to study all the time. Parents don’t feel their kids should always be studying, they should go outside. And kids don’t have time to go outside if they're always studying.
Please observe this graph below from Quartz:
Parents should have a say in what their kids are doing. Not school, if tests are taking over kids' lives that's all they’re going to become. They need to experience other things.
Now take a look at Laura Cruz who helped her school protest the PARCC Common Core exams. According to Washington Post, Mayfield High School junior Laura Cruz held up a sign to protest PARCC Common Core exams during a student-organized walkout in 2015. “I am more than a test score” as Laura Cruz states. This shows that people don’t like standardized testing. It shows that they will protest for what they believe.
Laura Cruz and her classmates do not want to be judged because of a score she got on a test. I wouldn’t want to be judged either. This is definitely a con of testing. People will protest because they don't believe these tests really show who they are.
This is another example of how standardized testing is not so great. Teachers could cover many more topics if they didn’t spend so much time getting students ready for the State test. According to the New York Times, “Standardized tests became the be-all and end-all of education, and states spent billions on them.” This shows that standardized tests became very important, but the state shouldn’t spend billions on tests when they can spend it on other, more important things.
It also states, “Last year, average math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress declined for the first time since 1990; reading scores were flat or decreased compared with a decade earlier.” This shows a lot about standardized testing and how they are a con.
We wanted to hear more from HPCMS students to track your opinions about standardized testing. Here’s what we found.
Should the DOE administer standardized tests?
Only four people or 10.3% put yes, seventeen people or 43.6% put no and eighteen people or 46.2% put maybe. This shows that more people don’t support standardized testing.
Do standardized tests stress you out?
Only 6 people or 15.4% chose no, and 33 people or 84.6% said yes. This points to the conclusion that kids get really stressed out from standardized tests.
We also asked students to put one pro and one con about testing. Most people put stress as a con. Some people put nothing for a pro. This can show that kids are not excited about testing.
Thank you for reading this article! We hope you found it interesting, and you liked seeing our community’s voice heard. Every voice counts, especially yours. For this topic, many people aren’t heard because they don’t have a choice about tests. So thank you for reading! And just remember,
This is another example of how standardized testing is not so great. Teachers could cover many more topics if they didn’t spend so much time getting students ready for the State test. According to the New York Times, “Standardized tests became the be-all and end-all of education, and states spent billions on them.” This shows that standardized tests became very important, but the state shouldn’t spend billions on tests when they can spend it on other, more important things.
It also states, “Last year, average math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress declined for the first time since 1990; reading scores were flat or decreased compared with a decade earlier.” This shows a lot about standardized testing and how they are a con.
We wanted to hear more from HPCMS students to track your opinions about standardized testing. Here’s what we found.
Should the DOE administer standardized tests?
Only four people or 10.3% put yes, seventeen people or 43.6% put no and eighteen people or 46.2% put maybe. This shows that more people don’t support standardized testing.
Do standardized tests stress you out?
Only 6 people or 15.4% chose no, and 33 people or 84.6% said yes. This points to the conclusion that kids get really stressed out from standardized tests.We also asked students to put one pro and one con about testing. Most people put stress as a con. Some people put nothing for a pro. This can show that kids are not excited about testing.
Thank you for reading this article! We hope you found it interesting, and you liked seeing our community’s voice heard. Every voice counts, especially yours. For this topic, many people aren’t heard because they don’t have a choice about tests. So thank you for reading! And just remember,
great very informative such wow
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