Dear Mr/Madam President,

I wanted to write to you because I have some concerns about Standardized Testing. I want you to remove Standardized testing from all school districts. I live in Texas and we are required to take the STAAR test in order to advance in school and to graduate. The STAAR test causes kids to be really stressed out and not like school as much. Imagine a school where learning was so much fun because students didn’t have test anxiety? It is a big burden for the kids and they have to study for the test which takes the fun out of learning. Some kids even make lots of mistakes that they wouldn’t normally make on other test during the year.

Kids spend a lot of time to prep for the test too. The test are very different from normal test therefore the teachers have to take more time to make sure the students are prepared. They cover much more material than just the basic skills that kids are used to. Another huge burden is that students have to pass the test to graduate and there are almost 15 different test. This is not included in all the other school work that students have to do. Mr. or Madam President, abolish the STAAR test.

The teachers in our school districts also have a hard time teaching because of these test. They have to take a lot of time out of their day to focus on making sure their students pass the test. If they don’t pass it hurts the teachers, principals and the schools that they teach at. Some teachers even come up with stretching and relaxation drills to keep kids calm and relaxed in order to take these test. This is not necessary, school should be fun and a good learning environment not a stress box. Some teachers are even known to give out peppermints because it’s supposed to make your tummy feel better because kids are so nervous. Peppermint is also supposed to help you think better,but usually I’m too upset and nervous to think.

I gave many reasons why i think you should remove standardized testing from schools in America but here are the hard facts. It’s not fair to test and evaluate a student off on one day and not consider that there could have been outside problems to why they didn’t do well. Teachers teach to the test and that can be a big disadvantage for kids learning because kids are bored and not enjoying school. The test doesn’t show how much better you got during the year, only where you are at when you took the test. Finally, it just causes too much stress for kids and their families along with the teachers. Please think this over and get rid of standardized testing for good.

Victoria B.

Works Cited

By Mar. 2002, after a Surge in Testing and the Passing of NCLB, That Figure Dropped to 47%. "Standardized Tests - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.