Teachers Against Standardized Testing

In an article from ABC News, it discusses one teacher’s protest against the demands of the No Child Left Behind Act. Carl Chew, a sixth grade teacher from Seattle, refused to give the WASL to his students. He claimed that these types of standardized tests caused his students undue stress, sometimes leaving them sick or in tears. In addition, he argued that they take the fun out of learning. Chew was suspended without pay, but received tons of e-mails from teachers, students, and parents from all over, praising him for standing up against standardized testing.

I definitely think what Mr. Chew did was admirable. While many teachers are against NCLB and standardized tests, I feel that very few would go as far as refusing to give them. In my opinion, these tests are a poor way of measuring students’ academic achievement. The government has to keep in mind that not all children are good test takers and that they don’t all learn at the same pace. Expecting all students to be at the same level is just unreasonable. In addition, they just cause unnecessary pressure on the students, as well as the teachers. Rather than making students excited to learn, these tests just make them hate school. There’s got to be a better way to measure student achievement and improvement.

What do you think of standardized testing? Should it stay the way it is, be re-evaluated, or be eliminated completely?