Discuss the problems created by high stakes testing, and give testing Essay

Discuss the problems created by high stakes testing, and give testing alternatives - Essay Example These controversies bring about the concept that people, students in particular, are not being tested with the knowledge that they actually know, therefore being graded unfairly. One of the biggest controversies over high-stakes testing is that the creators of the exams seem to be under the mindset that every student sitting the exam has had the same educational experience. For example, the test may make mention of a specific book, yet is done so without the thought that perhaps not every student has read that book. The majority of high-stakes testing are formed with the assumption that everybody should have the same knowledge when, in reality, not every school, or every teacher, follows the same curriculum as the rest of them. Furthermore, students may not have the knowledge through no fault of their own. Not every student is given an equal opportunity to learn the material that will be present on the test. Another issue that can go hand-in-hand with the previously mentioned problem is that high-stakes testing does not correctly measure the knowledge or skills of the individual. The tests tend to focus on specific subjects such as, as aforementioned, a specific book while claiming to see how well a student has been able to grasp English. Instead of focusing on a broader subject that many students may have learned, the creators of these tests seem to want to focus more on narrower subjects that there is a good chance that few students have learned. While the student may understand the concepts, they are unable to use this unread book to help them solve the answers. These tests seem to be measuring more what someone does not know rather than what they do. A third contention in regard to high-stakes testing is that these tests are attached to questionable rewards, such as high school diplomas. As previously mentioned, it is not always the case in which the students are at