Do Standardized Tests Do More Harm Than Good?

Do standardized test help or harm students? And is the US actually over testing students when compared with other nations? In this episode of Origin of Everything, we ask the big question about why do some American students take an average 112 standardized tests between Kindergarten & Grade 12?

Instagram: @pbsoriginofeverything

Written and Hosted By: Danielle Bainbridge
Graphics By: Noelle Smith
Edited By: Linda Huang and Mike Petrow
Fact Check: Sarah Edwards

Works Cited

[claytongriffith]

Everything I'm seeing lately makes me feel like I should move to Finland

[starspawn]

I’m a student. I hate the current school system. Yeah, I get good grades, but I have no idea what to do with my life, and I have few practical skills. Also, I’m tired and stressed 24/7.

I’ve heard people refer to childhood as one of the most free/happy times of your life. If that’s true, I don’t want to be an adult, because this is hell already.

[randolphthomasii]

Here's a question: why haven't we implemented a system like Finland?

[bassdylan]

I adore this video because she provides factual, unbiased information and allows you, the viewer, to come to your own conclusion.

[isabelle]

Standardized tests in my school district, having as many as you said, have so much pressure put on them and our teachers are like, “STUDY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, BUT GET SLEEP.” And they forget the ‘sleep’ part, so everyone ends up tired and dead as a donut. I barely get enough sleep before a test, and they just suck so much.

[TheTechnicalNirl]

Generally speaking, the whole testing model is flawed. Students are told to buy a list of facts at the beginning of the school year. Then, throughout the year, they will be required to fill forms, called tests, quizzes, and so on, by memory, in a timed challenge, with those facts. No matter how much the teachers say they value critical thinking, there is none to be had with the way we test, and overall teach, our kids.

[julesstephenson]

I lived in Canada until partway through 11th grade, when I moved to New Jersey. In Ontario, at that time at least; there were only four standardized tests that students had to take. You had your third grade EQAO, your sixth grade EQAO, a ninth grade EQAO specifically for math only, and a 10th grade literacy test. After having completed all of this in Ontario, I then was hit with the HSPA in Jersey. The HSPA was essentially the same thing as the ninth and 10th grade tests, but combined into one, three day engagement. The way that we were being told about the HSPA lead most of us to be deathly afraid of the test, And we expected it to be near impossible to pass. Upon having actually taken it, I realized that it was exactly the same as the two I took in high school back home, and wasn’t near as much of a big deal as it seemed. Generally speaking, I find standardized tests to be stupid and entirely pointless. I think a better idea would be to give the teachers some sort of evaluation every so often. After all, the literacy test, math test, and HSPA were all basically evaluations of how you have been taught by teachers past. I think that Montessori schools really have a much better idea by avoiding them entirely. By the way, you guys have a new subscriber

[LordofBroccoli]

Standardized tests are one of the reasons why public education sucks. Their questions are too constricted and often end up being written in a way that makes them easy to misread if you're stressed-out. Essays help students flesh out ideas far better.

[sarovi-ki]

I'm south Korean, and yes, I expected you will be talking about South Korea as soon as I just read the title. Although being south Korean, it feels quite normal to take that amount of tests. But yeah, I think students in this country spend way to much time studying.

[babydragon]

Hello, I am a Korean student. I'm not the type that studies 16 hours a day and barely have any sleep, but there are crazy monsters in our country.
Such a scary reality.

[ArawnOfAnnwn]

Another model besides those three, huh? Well, how about this one - GERMANY! Basically, screw this obsession with university - learn to give trade schools their due. Also, incorporate apprenticeship into your education system in an integrated manner. Seems to have worked wonders for them. And Germany's population is more comparable to the US than Finland or S. Korea.

[nyhuynh]

Well, , , , duh. If you ask any student, we just learn the info for the test and then we forget it. There’s no use for them. Not to mention they cause so much stress along with anxiety.

[Liuhuayue]

Why is this even a question? Of course it hurts students. It was never supposed to help students, though. It helps the systematic sorting of academics, not students themselves.

[carbonovideos]

I am SO glad this channel exists - both because of what do you think about and how do you think about it. Something tells me Marc Bloch would be really proud.

[iammrbeat]

Technicality did a great video over this topic.

[ImperiaGin]

Too many standardised tests don't help and I'd say do more harm. Especially if you're in a city, town or whatever that doesn't have a lot of funding. It also doesn't really show if a student understands the material as hundreds of thousand if not millions of students have some sort of anxiety or disability.

[Tom-xygb]

When I took my SAT I was 😨 I can’t even read a prompt without hesitation of thinking about the time. I can’t I can’t I can’t!!

[Tragic]

The ACT has made me unbelievably stressed and anxious to the point where I need therapy. Seriously we need to rethink standardized tests

[BlueNitroTiger]

I think exams really do more harm than good because we saw some students in the UK and other countries losing their mental health and gaining their stress.

[tashieschimchim]

I attended private schools. In elementary school, we tested 2x a year. In high school we tested 1x a year. and then we took ACTs(very few took SATs because ACT testing was done at my school). Our graduation rate was quite high and our college admittance was quite high. I had friends who were really rich, middle class, and some were borderline homeless at my school, but the average student did well because we had really good teachers. All of them had proper licencing. Most of them had Master's Degrees. All of them valued each student and our average class size was 20 students. I loved my hs. I was very lucky. The only way you wouldn't do well there, is if you didn't try, because the teachers were always there ready and willing to help you if you try. You could schedule tutoring if you had trouble understanding things. You could talk to your teachers or the dean. My transition into college was made easier because of how great my hs was. I do somewhat regret not listening to my counselor who encouraged me to go to junior college rather than a university. 1. because my school was very expensive and 2. because I no longer want a career in my degree. and I realised that after 2 quarters in my school, but I wanted to prove that I could finish(big mistake. I should have paid more attention to my ACT scores which encouraged me to go towards the current field that I'm interested in)