I'm homeschooling and I like using standardized tests to benchmark progress.
That said, the tests themselves are structured in such a convoluted way that the hardest part is often determining exactly what the question is asking or how it's supposed to be answered. This leads to "teaching to the test" and the propagation of adherence to established hierarchy, rather than actual aptitude.
Standardized tests also play into the one-size-fits-all model of education. They should be a bare minimum but there don't seem to be any complementary aptitude tests to identify strengths that can be further developed. The guiding principal seems to be: if a kid passes, cover them in busy-work to keep then out of the way while we work on improving the failing kids.
This leads directly to boredom in the academic kids and, at the same time, boredom in the non-academic kids who may very well excel at fields that require problem solving, spacial awareness or physical aptitude, but are now stuck doing basic math and language drills.
I'm homeschooling and I like using standardized tests to benchmark progress.
That said, the tests themselves are structured in such a convoluted way that the hardest part is often determining exactly what the question is asking or how it's supposed to be answered. This leads to "teaching to the test" and the propagation of adherence to established hierarchy, rather than actual aptitude.
Standardized tests also play into the one-size-fits-all model of education. They should be a bare minimum but there don't seem to be any complementary aptitude tests to identify strengths that can be further developed. The guiding principal seems to be: if a kid passes, cover them in busy-work to keep then out of the way while we work on improving the failing kids.
This leads directly to boredom in the academic kids and, at the same time, boredom in the non-academic kids who may very well excel at fields that require problem solving, spacial awareness or physical aptitude, but are now stuck doing basic math and language drills.