How Standardized Testing is Letting Down our Students

Standardized testing has long been the benchmark for college readiness and student excellence. The test was considered a way for lower-income students to be able to showcase their own talents without the robust amount of activities and programs that wealthy students could attain. 

While elite schools and studies have shown that a form of testing is beneficial to the college process, the racism and classism inherent in the program present the need for another form of testing that would give students a better chance at success.

Standardized testing does, in many ways, have beneficial qualities. A Spark Admissions website weighing the pros and cons of the SAT argues that by setting a standard, the SAT makes it easier to “evaluate and rank” students. 

And while a one-size-fits-all test often neglects the multifaceted nature of human intellect, there are upsides to setting a standard for all to follow and it streamlines the college process. 

Unfortunately, according to Spark, national exams are a “fact of life well beyond secondary school.” Anyone who wants to go into a wide array of specialized professions has to take a standardized test, so getting started early does give students an advantage.

However, the standardized test is often criticized for the test anxieties and phobias it can induce. Students cannot do their best work because they are so stressed or distracted. Furthermore, Spark says, “Wealthy families have the time and money for [test prep]… which essentially means that a good score can be purchased.”

The money-rich families can put in for their kids to get good scores is just inaccessible to lower-income families who have to rely on free or cheap, sub-par, resources. 

Along with the lack of robust resources for poorer students, the SAT perpetuates racist and xenophobic culture in society. Black and Latino people consistently get lower scores than white students, especially in the math sections of the test.

A Brookings study on race in relation to standardized test scores showed that, “Over half (59%) of white…test takers met the college readiness math benchmark, compared to less than a quarter of Black students and under a third of Hispanic…students.” 

This disparity is not coincidental and the SAT, specifically, often gives questions that test-takers of color are less likely to be able to answer. Students of color are also less likely to obtain robust test prep programs that wealthy white students can find. The racist and classist components of the SAT make it very difficult and create a stress-inducing experience for people of color, disadvantaging their college hopes disproportionately. 

However, even though countless studies have shown the sharp disadvantages of standardized testing, the “elite” colleges have started bringing them back. Ivy League colleges, such as Dartmouth and Yale, have justified bringing tests back by pointing to their own research that found that these tests are helpful to the admission chances of kids living in poverty.

And yet, these studies go against all the other research that has been done. Colleges have implemented standardized testing again to identify the individual success of students who may not otherwise be able to show their talents. 

 neaToday referenced a study done by Harvard University, which found that generally, the tests “reinforce inequality.” Elite colleges have begun bringing the tests back for individual success and an easier college process, but they neglect to consider the inequality it brings to all other people, who may not be proficient test takers but have other outstanding qualities. 

But while the elite schools have started bringing the standardized tests back, neaToday estimates over 80 percent of colleges will not require them in fall 2025, so there is no reason to lose hope in all American colleges, as many still cater to everyone.

There have also been numerous breakthroughs in finding other forms of testing that accommodate students compared to the SAT and ACT. Many studies have shown that more creative and experiential assessments may be more beneficial and effective. 

A new form of test called a “Performance Based Assessment” allows students to commit to a process instead of a test where there is only one right answer. The assessment can be any kind of project, and students, according to neaToday, can “develop a thorough analysis in an essay; conduct a laboratory investigation; curate a portfolio of student work,” et cetera. 

The same source goes on to say that with that assessment kids can “show much more of their knowledge over time, in a form they choose.” 

By switching to PBAs, schools will give more opportunities for people who are set up to be disadvantaged by standardized testing, while also providing an alternative that meets college standards. 

No matter what happens, the United States must re-examine the standardized testing available today and try to find new solutions to make the process easier on students.