Picture this; you’re in school, and summer is right around the corner. Then, out of seemingly nowhere, you get slapped across the face with a standardized test, and immediate pressure and stress is put upon you. You then remember about the multiple days you spent learning about what the test would be like and what would be on it, and thought, “Man, that was useless!”

Schools are definitely pushing standardized testing a little TOO much on students, which doesn’t help the school’s score. The score seems like it’s the only thing they care about, and that’s a big problem.

People may claim that this time is helping students and is getting better scores for the school, but it’s not. A study by Education Week shows that “There is no correlation” of time used for testing and for preparing and “improved math and reading skills.” As a student, I have to take these tests, and I personally see what these days are doing for us, which is nothing. These days don’t help our test scores individually or as a group.

Lots of time is spent on preparing for tests, and most people think it’s unnecessary, even the teachers that have to teach it do. According to a study by the Center on Education Policy, “81 percent believe their students spend too much time” taking and preparing for these tests, whether it’s for state or district mandated tests. Something needs to be done about the absurd amount of time being wasted on preparation time, even time spent TAKING the tests. “On average, teachers estimate spending 14 days preparing students” for these mandatory tests, by the state or district. Some even spend over a full month preparing their students for these tests. Much less time can be spent on preparing and taking these tests if schools try to look at the big picture. The score isn’t what matters in the end, it’s how good all of your student’s educations are. With this extra time, around 14 days, students could finish an entire math unit. It is understandable to have some days dedicated to preparing for tests, but if it’s more than 3 days, then it’s too much time spent. Students need 3 days at most to prepare for a test. Kids are quick to pick up things and learn about them, so learning about how a test will work wouldn’t be a terribly hard task for them. Reviewing what’s on the test may take 1 – 2 days, and maybe some homework for extra practice.
The idea of focusing more on how much the students know than on how well your school does as a whole would spare the boredom of many school students.