). This proves that standardized tests are not the greatest assessment of a student’s knowledge of subject matter or greatest predictor of a student’s future. A student may simply be a bad test taker, but may have a high GPA. The SAT is a nationally standardized measure, where as a grade point average is not. A student may receive a respectively high GPA through hard work, while another may simply just get by through opting to take easy courses in high school. “…the SAT’s impact is often overstates. The overwhelmingly majority of colleges are not selective, so a low SAT score will rarely keep a student out of college. Even at the most selective college, the SAT is seldom used alone by college admissions staff to make decisions” (Phelps). The American people have consistently advocated greater use of standardized student testing, and more states now than even administer standardized tests on a regular basis. Yet, such tests also evoke protest from many educators and testing experts. The basic argument made by those in opposition to standardized testing is that standardized tests are counterproductive. Meaning that instead of leading to stronger academic achievement, it is said to interfere with teaching and learning. Teachers should use test results to improve their instruction, not to justify lower expectations or to stereotype students. ...
