Reflect on how standardized tests are not preparing high school students for liberal arts courses in college. Liberal arts courses requires reading stamina, comprehension, and critical writing skills that are not taught in the classroom.
Oh, the heck yes! Thank goodness somebody said it. I was lucky because I always loved to read, but a lot of kids aren't born bookworms. I taught Freshman Comp as a grad student, and the lack of enthusiasm for reading, plus the lack of comprehension and skill, made me so mad for those students, I can't begin to tell you. – Stephanie M.8 years ago
Absolutely. I work as an ACT/SAT prep teacher and the tests do not teach kids to read critically or comprehensively. They only teach them to read for the answer or to barely understand main concepts. As a timed test, students don't have enough time to properly read every word and examine it like college students would be required to. They also are not required to write an essay based on the excerpt and are discouraged from bringing any outside knowledge to apply to the text. I would definitely say that standardized tests limit high school students from enjoying and pursuing reading. – krae298 years ago
Yes! I agree. Standardized tests teach students that answers are either right or wrong, and in literature that's not exactly true. As long as you back up your claim with evidence, then your answer could be correct. Literature is not all black and white, there's that gray area. And standardized tests hinder students from thinking beyond black and white. – simplykrizia8 years ago
Teaching to the test is the absolute death of critical thinking. Having taught college for years, I can confirm just how unprepared students are for college in general, even more so for any course that requires thinking outside the box. Teaching English was just as difficult. None of my courses use exams as a method of evaluation, which completely throws students off because they are required to read and write and think and analyze materials. Assigned reading was a constant component to the course, as were brief exercises to evaluate knowledge gained. Since students couldn’t use memorization to complete assignments, many of them struggled. Other students however, were relieved to able to think freely and not within the constraints of rote memorization and regurgitation. If high school students were periodically given the freedom to choose their own reading materials, reading and comprehension rates would likely become much higher.
– mazzamura8 years ago
Playing devil's advocate here. While standardized tests can limit a student's ability to become an avid reader, with correct guidance, standardized tests can act as a stepping stone to learn how to read textbooks and look for the pertinent information when reading a passage. Having tutored students in ACT/SAT, I find students who struggle with reading comprehension are better equipped to increase their reading stamina once they have started preparing for standardized tests. Additionally, standardized tests cannot be the only reason to blame for lack of preparation for liberal arts courses. Transitioning from high school to college can often be a struggle, especially for those who do not have a strong background in English or other social sciences, which can also act as a deterrent for avid reading. There are many factors that play a role in lack of preparation for liberal arts courses. – vaidyadoc8 years ago
To play devil's advocate again,preparing for any standardized tests teaches a student to search strictly for answers. SAT prep courses teaches you to read the first two sentences in each paragraph and pay attention to transitional sentences to find answers. In liberal arts courses students are not expected to find answers, they are expected to know how to elaborate and write critical responses to texts. – authoressalicia8 years ago