Dear Mr./Mrs. President

Standardized testing is an impractical form of testing. It was a good idea when it first started, but now it’s just gotten out of hand. The tests do not measure creativity or critical thinking which can be a huge factor in some careers. The idea came from an IQ test that working men would take during World War I. When I take the test I find it to be too stressful when piled on top of after-school activities. As an eighth grader, I still find these tests to be over-stressed and they just seem too important.

When the first World War ended French psychologist Alfred Binet created the first IQ test. This would soon become a standard form of testing. By World War I, standardized testing was standard practice: aptitude quizzes called Army Mental Tests were conducted to assign U.S. servicemen jobs during the war effort. (Dan Fletcher, Standardized testing a brief history). We got the idea of standardized testing from an IQ test designed during World War I.

"Critical thinking and creativity aren’t measured in this test. When things like these aren’t measured isn’t it like rewarding shallow thinking?" (Philip Harris, Standardized Tests Do Not Effectively Measure Student Achievement). When an architect is drawing up plans they need to think outside the the box. Tests only measure superficial thinking and not the creativity. I am a creative person, I like to make things up and make my own stories. The fact that these tests only measure routine thinking is disappointing

The standardized test is a very stressful obstacle in an already stressful world. A lot of students have things going on after school that have an element of stress in them already. A student with low grades might be pressured and stressed by their parents to get better grades which is s extremely stressful. When I take the standardized tests I sometimes feel stressed to the breaking point.

Sincerely,

Trent

Works Cited Page

Fletcher, Dan. “Standardized Testing.” Time, Time Inc., 11 Dec. 2009, content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1947019,00.html.

Harris, Philips . “Standardized Tests Do Not Effectively Measure Student Achievement.” Opposing Viewpoints, Opposing Viewpoints, ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/viewpointsdetailspage/viewpointsdetailswindow?disablehighlighting=&displaygroupname=viewpoints&currpage=&dviselectedpage=&scanid=&query=&source=&prodid=ovic&search_within_results=&p=ovic&mode=view&catid=&u=cort85574&limiter=&dis